local_library Diplomacy’s Obligation to History

by Keith Moul

Published in Issue No. 263 ~ April, 2019

Each word, each act, each memory requires recording

at the instant spoken, acted or remembered, including

a tone of voice, contextualization of events, and editorial

asides deemed worthy of remark to spur history’s dialog.

Details from savvy observers can strangle propaganda:

peculiar conditions cited best prove the memory true.

 

Reports sent home must survive the authority’s rigorous sift;

“shock” and “dismay” tighten tongues of those entitled

to access; the streets of capitals flutter with dead leaves

that after cordoning will advise the press and populate

the manuscripts elucidating compromise. Built on lies?

Realpolitik? Or pusillanimous pretenders to leadership?

 

 

 

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Keith Moul's poems and photos appear widely. He's authored 5 books, including The Future as a Picnic Lunch, due out September 2015 from Finishing Line Press.