Night Over the Euphrates

It’s night now,
Over the Euphrates.
A strained silence
Intrudes into the shattered whopping
of whizzing blades.

It’s night now over the Euphrates
And I press an insignificant red button.
Onward Christian Soldier—
An artist’s red-gold stroke,
bold on a palette of deepest blue.

Onward! Onward to Death!
Tonight over the Euphrates
My head turns from the collateral
While another cruel artist paints again,
Returning the favor.

It’s night now over the Euphrates,
But it’s day inside—
Like a small sun, everything is boiling
Skin, metal, plastic.
Is this what they meant by
“The Great Melting Pot”
?

Why, God?
Why have you forsaken me?
Why was I chosen for this?
Have you murdered me tonight
Over the Euphrates?