Silent Armies

Silent armies
Are not for war
They are for preventing war
And making moves
And negotiating terms.

Silent armies
Go in all directions
At all times
In most places
Satellites see their path
And forge their path.

Silent armies
Temper the ever-awaking threat
Of nuclear bombs
And sometimes they march
With dollar bills backed by gold
And sometimes they march
With dollar bills backed by oil
And it’s our oil
Or someone else’s oil
Or our productivity
And purchasing power
Of someone’s else’s stuff.

Dramatic pictures
Of little children
Crossing borders
And those damn 
Border patrol agents
Are like marching armies
Who watch drugs and guns
Funnel in from beyond
Who lay down their arms
To avoid war
But what kind of war?
A drug war?
A war against crime?
Terrorism?
A silent war.

Armies and enduring peace
We are told are synonymous,
The ever-spying
Role-playing
A-takedown-here-and-there
Silent and sometimes marching armies
Are certainly strong
And yet it never ends - 
The nagging dream of peace
And yet it never ends -
The nagging threat of war.