A Dirty Job

Someone's got to push the button,
It's for the greater cause.
Someone's got to push the button,
though some innocents may die.
It's just collateral damage,
No one thinks even to ask why.
One life to save a hundred,
one hundred for a thousand.
Someone's got to push the button.

But who remembers the faces
of the people who have died?
Unknowingly give their lives,
so that others may yet live.
Someone's got to push the button,
why do you even ask?
Surely we know better.
Yes you've got to push the button.
Someones got to do it,
but it's not going to be me.

No I won't push the button,
I don't want to kill.
It's you who's got to do it,
be a hero, push the button.
Disregard the cost,
It's really not that high.
Someone's got to push the button,
Someone's got to do it
And it might as well be you.

...hmm... I don't know about this one... poems were always meant to tell people things, and usually they always kept this mystique about their themes.

your poem was very straight forward!

but then again the message is a kind of "need to know" sort of thing.

but you can write any way you want...

that's how I'll read it.

this poem had a deep dark truth about it, that everybody knows and tries to ignore...

great job bring this message forward

courage is a virtue

speak your mind

espiecially on matters life,death and justice

Hey, you're a greeter!:)

Anyway, this poem was cool. I think that because that it's being straightforwrd just adds so much more to the efficiency of the delivery. It had a strong theme and the delivery was also strong. This was really great. Also rather dark I think, pessismistic but really strong.

This reminded me of the countless protest songs in my songbook, "Rise Up Singing". Maybe it could be set to music? I'm not sure if the protest-song-influence had anything to do with it, but I kept trying to impose a rhythm on this. The design of it felt like it was asking for it. But it needs rhymes. I would suggest making this a rhyming poem.
It also gets a little repetitive, which I understand is kind of the point, and it does convey the impression of the confusion and pressure that leads to someone doing something like that, but perhaps that could still be done effectively with less exact repetition. Sometimes it moves into cliches, too... "innocents who died" is a little over-used, don't you think?
This is probably the only time I'll ever say this, but I liked the lack of specific details. It fit with the idea that people become numbers and abstract concepts and that the person who has to do the "dirty work" can't look at them as people. I thought in that sense the style of the poem matched its topic very well.
Hope that was at least a little bit helpful. I can't get it out of my head that it should be a protest song, sandwiched between "The Universal Soldier" and "Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream". Keep writing!
-BFG

I remember reading this a while back, and at the time I though you had a point. I still think you have a point, but I'm not really sure what that point was supposed to be exactly. You'll have to explain to me whether this is anti-war, or something on a deeper and more epic level, like human nature. I'm not sure I agree that this was too straightforward, it does maintain some mystery, just in a different kind of way than the traditional poetry. Since you are definitely a different kind of person than the traditional poet, I think it fits perfectly. I like this poem because it's hard to tell if it is a veiled question, a loud protest, or a commentary on life. So props to you, Travis. I do agree that it could easily be turned into a song, with a pretty good hook. Talk to me about that later; I won't remember. Good job, and keep it up!

--Arianna