Ode to Turkey's Police

... with apologies to Leon Rosselson

Every day they're at the ready
Turkey's police.
Restoring calm, maintaining order,
Keeping the peace -
With their strong arms locked
To hold back the mob
To hold back the mob
To hold back...

Every day they're at the ready
Erdogan's police.
Restoring calm, maintaining order,
Keeping the peace -
With their belts and badges and batons and boots
In perfect array.
Their uniformed bodies and disciplined minds
Trained to obey.
And their strong arms locked
To hold back the mob
To hold back the mob
To hold back...

Every day they're at the ready
Turkey's police.
Restoring calm, maintaining order,
Keeping the peace -
With their belts and badges and batons and boots
In perfect array.
Their disciplined bodies and uniformed minds
Trained to obey
The order when it should come
To use the gas that burns the eyes,
The gas that chokes,
The guns, the dogs, the water cannon,
The rubber bullets -
To control the situation.
And their strong arms locked
To hold back the mob
To hold back the mob
To hold back...

Every day they're at the ready
Erdogan's police.
Restoring calm, maintaining order,
Keeping the peace -
With their belts and badges and batons and boots
In perfect array.
Their uniformed, disciplined bodies and minds
Trained to obey
The order when it should come
To use the gas that burns the eyes,
The gas that chokes,
The guns, the dogs, the water cannon,
The rubber bullets, the plastic bullets,
The electrified barbed wire, the high velocity rifles,
The submachine guns, the armoured cars, the tanks,
The petroleum jelly, the fragmentation bombs,
The high radiation bomb...
To control the situation.
And their strong arms locked
To hold back the mob
To hold back the mob
To hold back the mob
To hold back...
To hold back...

In the end there is no holding back.
A final calm descends upon the earth.
All problems solved.
A new order is born,
With none of the messiness of birth.

No trees sway out of line;
There are no trees.
No roses sprawl in riotous display;
There are no roses.
Nothing moves, no one stirs.
No sounds of birds disturb the peace:
There are no birds.

And still they stand
Triumphant & immense,
The silent lines of marble monuments.
Soon the rising seas will cease to rise,
The flecks of grey ash float to rest.
And there will be -
Perfect peace,
Complete calm,
The maximum of order.

Every day they're at the ready
Turkey's police.
Restoring calm, maintaining order,
Keeping the peace -
With their strong arms locked
To hold back the mob
To hold back the mob
To hold back the mob
To hold back...
To hold back...