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Published April 30, 2003 at 4:00 a.m.
What a terrible racket they made
beating all those swords into plowshares
people were deafened world-wide letters
of protest as well as serious essays
pointing out in the sensible way
of ordinary people we no longer
use plowshares swords have been
for generations the playthings
of boys and men
now the government that year happened
to be a poet it explained
in a kindly way citizens we had
in mind a living performing metaphor
using familiar religious themes and
literary memories of course once we
get those useless plowshares there
may be a couple of economic or
industrial uses we will even be able
to beat them back into swords should
swords still be required by boys and men
GRACE PALEY
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