Totentanz

Two cats sit on a broken fence,
a rat looks on, intrigued, intense.
No-one sees as the moon turns red,
and the stream runs dark in the same old bed.
Two boys laugh at a crying girl,
one man salutes as the flags unfurl.
The jester laughs as the goose steps out,
fingers in his ears as the demagogues shout.
Two days peace for a hard-fought war,
one year's strife brings a decade more,
no-one dies in a worthy cause,
the bravest heroes remain cat's paws.
Two tramps fight for a broken glass,
one thug's uniform gleams with brass,
the medals are metal, and the metal is base:
See! There's Sardonicus on the soldier's face.
Two cats sit on a broken fence,
a general orders the breaking of tents.
The tanks roll in, it's the politics of chance,
take your partners for the Totentanz.