Poem February 20, 1989 Issue

The ultimate weapon

Jacob R. Moon

Basic training:
"The mission of the soldier,"
They told us,
"Is to close with and destroy
The enemy."

That took some thinking about.
"To close with"—to confront.
"To destroy" — to eliminate.
But how?
If you're going to abide by
"Thou shalt not kill,"
Then how?

Later, in Korea:
We tried to imagine
"The ultimate weapon."
Lightweight; one-man portable.
Range, unlimited.
Never runs out of ammo.
Never misses the enemy.
Harmless to friendly forces.
Provides an impenetrable shield
Against all hostile action.
That was it, we said:
The ultimate weapon.
A GI daydream.

And yet,
Love ...
God's love, expressed ...
Weighs nothing,
Is no burden.
Has power unlimited.
Never wears out or jams up.
Cannot harm anyone.
Identifies man as God's image.
Nothing less, nothing else.
And safe within the shield
Of such beholding ...
Confronts and eliminates
The enemy—
That ancient, lying,
Groundless enemy
Of all mankind,
Whose name is
Enmity.

Jacob R. Moon

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