Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE STARRED MOTHER, by ROBERT WHITAKER


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE STARRED MOTHER, by                    
First Line: Is there a madness underneath the sun
Last Line: For tinselled star, their flesh and blood to hell!
Subject(s): Mothers & Sons; Sons; War


Is there a madness underneath the sun
More strange, more terrible? or any one
More pitiful than this, that for a star
A mother sells her flesh and blood to war?

A son for slaughter, and a star for praise!
Nor this the total madness of our days,
A son to slay some other mother's son,
And by such murder mother's blessing won!

The Hindu mother, by the Ganges tide
Drowning her babe, heart-broken, but with pride,
Poor blind purveyor to a Saurian feast,
Still spares her babe from murder's maw, at least.

Is there debauchery more deep than this?
The State betraying mothers with a kiss?
Bribing the Marys of the world to sell,
For tinselled star, their flesh and blood to hell!





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