Gospel of Dissonance

I can’t understand the logic  Of those who sip lattes in comfort  While I drink Dr. Pepper, I light a Camel  And medicate away the screams.    Zoloft, Valium, Prazosin—  They help me sleep,  But can’t erase  The repeating patterns:  History rewinding itself,  War on loop.   Why are we going to war with Iran?  I protested back in 2001,  Spoke out on TV,  Wrote letters to newspapers.    Millions dead in Iraq,  Hundreds of thousands in Afghanistan  (If the numbers are real).  But sure, we nod,  Swallow our Prozac and oxycodone,  And raise a glass to false prophets.   The gospel of dissonance preaches:  “Love and respect all”—  Except the Muslims     My sister called me crazy  For marching for peace Now she’s MAGA,  Says the wars were wrong She forgot branding me shameful.    That’s how it goes.  Now I’m one of the ghosts, too Flashbacks, pills,  Dissociation.   You mock me  While waving flags made elsewhere. Cheering for a narcissist  As innocents die  In tents, hospitals, and mosques.    Your god demands it, I guess.  And as you chant and cheer  Like Romans in blood-soaked arenas,  I cry alone.