OPIUM

That's one side of opium Keiko... here's another - O flower of dreams Quiet the screams O poppy of peace Bring them release O Soldier blue What do you do? What brings you here With your weapons of fear? You want our heroin You want our heroes You want an excuse You want a war You want to kill? Maybe you will Maybe you'll die Beneath foreign sky Poppies bring dollars Dollars bring profit Profit brings power Power brings pain. Pain grows poppies It all starts again.

Hi Keiko. From your poem I thought you would be Chinese but from your name Japanese - so I'm guessing American :O) You're poem brough visions of opium dens and memories of Nepalese Temple Balls :O) As for Afghanistan; I don't know how important the heroin trade really is to the war there but I do know that production reached an all time low under the Taliban because they burned the poppy fields. Heroin production is back at record highs now I believe. Curiously, I was talking to a nurse today who told me that there is currently a shortage of the more powerful pain-killers but I don't know if they still rely on heroin to manufacture them.

You're right, I would never have guessed Keiko. You poerty has a very Chinese quality which I like! Be lucky!

Hey Keiko, Checked out your various personas on the ’hub’ etc and I was impressed. Some great art work, fascinating poetry and some good video clips. I must admit I was surprised by your musical choice of Depeche Mode but I enjoyed the Nephalim music video. I see now that Chinese history is as important to you to as me. Keep up the great work and I’ll try and keep an eye on it… There’s always lots to learn!