Pre-war?
Asked the prospect.
Oh, yes, intoned the agent,
As if reciting reverentially
From an ancient text.
Pre-war is vintage…
They don’t make them like this anymore…
Lath and plaster.
Lath, what’s lath?
Asked the prospect.
You know, wooden slats slathered with plaster…
These walls, these walls…strong as Versailles.
My, my, said the prospect,
Which war is this ‘pre’ of?
I was hoping more Vietnam
Than Verdun,
Or Antietam,
Or one even more antecedent.
No, no, said the agent,
Somewhere between
The War to End All Wars
And the last Great War…
In the 30s, I’m sure.
No, the pre-war I want,
The prospect said,
Is Afghanistan.
Or better Iraq,
Even though it would lack
The plaster and lath.