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Poetry

Cruelty and Conquest

I.
The United States has no

quarrel with the Iraqi people; they’ve suffered too

long in silent

captivity. Liberty for

the Iraqi people is

a great moral cause, and a great strategic

goal. The people

of Iraq deserve

it; the security of

all nations requires it. Free societies do not

intimidate through cruelty

and conquest, and

open societies do not

threaten the world with mass murder. The United

States supports political

and economic liberty

in a unified Iraq.

(George Bush to the United Nations, September 2002)





II.

The United States has no

quarrel oil the Iraqi people; they’ve suffered too

oil in silent

captivity. Liberty for

the oil people is

a great moral cause, oil a great strategic

goal. The people

oil Iraq deserve

it; the security of

oil nations requires it. Free societies do oil

intimidate through cruelty

and conquest, and

oil societies do not

threaten the world oil mass murder. The United

States supports oil

and economic liberty

in a unified oil.





III. 6

The United States has no

oil oil the Iraqi people; they’ve oil too

oil in silent

captivity. Oil for

the oil people is

oil great moral cause, oil a oil strategic

goal. The people

oil oil deserve

it; the security of

oil nations requires it. Free societies oil oil

intimidate through cruelty

and oil, and

oil societies do not

oil the world oil mass murder. Oil United

States supports oil

and oil liberty

in a unified oil.





IV. 5

The United States oil no

oil oil the oil people; they’ve oil too

oil in silent

captivity. Oil oil

the oil people is

oil great moral cause, oil oil oil strategic

goal. The oil

oil oil deserve

it; oil security of

oil nations oil it. Free societies oil oil

intimidate through cruelty

and oil, and

oil societies do oil

oil the world oil oil murder. Oil United

States oil oil

and oil liberty

oil a unified oil.





V. 4

Oil United States oil oil

oil oil the oil people; they’ve oil oil

oil in silent

oil. Oil oil

the oil people is

oil oil moral cause, oil oil oil strategic

goal. oil oil

oil oil oil

it; oil security of

oil nations oil oil. Free societies oil oil

intimidate through cruelty

oil oil, and

oil oil do oil

oil oil world oil oil oil. Oil United

States oil oil

and oil oil

oil a unified oil.



VI. 3

Oil United Oil oil oil

oil oil the oil people; they’ve oil oil

oil oil silent

oil. Oil oil

the oil people is

oil oil moral oil, oil oil oil strategic

goal. oil oil

oil oil oil

it; oil security of

oil nations oil oil. Free societies oil oil

intimidate oil cruelty

oil oil, and

oil oil do oil

oil oil world oil oil oil. Oil United

States oil oil

and oil oil

oil oil unified oil.





VII. 2

Oil Oil Oil oil oil

oil oil oil oil oil; they’ve oil oil

oil oil oil

oil. Oil oil

the oil oil is

oil oil oil oil, oil oil oil strategic

oil. oil oil

oil oil oil

oil; oil oil of

oil nations oil oil. Oil societies oil oil

oil oil oil

oil oil, and

oil oil oil oil

oil oil oil oil oil oil. Oil United

Oil oil oil

and oil oil

oil oil oil oil.





This poem was generated using an Oulipo technique re-introduced by Juliana Spahr in the anthology 100 Days edited by Andrea Brady and Keston Sutherland (Barque, 2001). The technique involves counting and eliminating certain words based on chance. I eliminated every seventh word in stanza #2, every sixth word in stanza #3, until the end of the poem when every other word was eliminated.



Contributor

Kristin Prevallet

Kristin Prevallet is the author of Scratch Sides: Poetry, Documentation and Image-Text Projects. She lives in Greenpoint. The Catalogue of Lost Glimpses is a Poetry As Public Art Project (PIPA) which is in-process.

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WINTER 2003

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