AN INTERLOPER: award winner

AN INTERLOPER: award winner


When someone enters a house
After breaking the lock
But finds he has landed on
Too hard and hot a rock;

Does he need sympathy, he
Who has broken the law?
Or in the owner of the
House we should find some flaw?

It’s clear the house breaker
Is a mere trespasser.
Or, in other words, he is
Just an interloper.

The US attacked Iraq
Without law or reason.
It blamed Saddam Hussein though
No foul act he had done.

“Out with WMD”, it
Cried; there were none at all.
What could be more convincing
Of US’s moral fall?

Through brute force one can often
Win a physical fight.
But without the moral force,
Victory takes a flight.



* Written in abcb, 7-6-7-6 format.
* Initially written as entry 475041 in the book WAR POETRY "WAR POETRY--award winner", replaced on by 3 May 2007 by the present static item.
• Written for "Invalid Item" , News Desk: Contest. This contest required that the poem be built upon a news item in a newspaper. The above poem was inspired by the news item in Times of India, dated 14 December 2006, which reads:

“CHANGE WAR POLICY: US POLL--Americans have never been more pessimistic about the war in Iraq and say a change is needed, said a CBS News poll.The poll found that 62% of Americans said sending troops to fight in Iraq was an error, while 34% still backed the decision. Even during Vietnam conflict, so many Americans did not oppose the war”.


M C Gupta
14 December 2006