Once upon a time,
There was a Distant Land--
In the north were hills and valleys,
In the south desert sand.

Once a powerful empire,
This land now faced a threat
From outside intervention
That many would regret.

It welcomed a Mighty Country's
Involvement from far away--
Not fully realizing
The role that it would play.

A group from the Mighty Country
Helped organize a coup,
Destabilizing the other
And setting things askew.

A new regime replaced
The one that had been deposed.
However, the regime's tyranny
Soon became disclosed.

Discontentment grew;
The leader fled for his life
And begged the Mighty Country
For asylum for himself and his wife.

The people in the Distant Land--
Angry and abused--
Wanted their leader returned;
The Mighty Country refused.

So, the people took
Matters into their own hands,
Taking fifty-two hostages
For negotiating demands.

For 444 days
Conditions remained very tense
Until the release of the captives.
The damage was immense.

"Be careful what you ask for"
Is a common phrase.
The Distant Land now suffered
Tyranny in other ways.

The new religious leader
Ruled with an iron fist
And added more names
To his enemy list.

Eventually the Distant Country
Was attacked by its Neighbor,
Which received outside assistance
To help it sharpen its saber.

Help--for example--
From the Mighty Nation consisted
Of the selling of poisonous chemicals.
Frankly, that sounds pretty twisted.

Imagine the horrible suffering
From a war that went on and on--
Ending eight long years after
Battle lines had been drawn.

The Distant Once-Glorious Nation
And the Mighty Nation maintained
Their strained, aggressive relationship
From which nothing was gained.

Both accused the other
Of harboring evil intentions;
Both stubbornly resisted
Peaceful interventions.

The people were the ones who suffered
From dis- and misinformation.
The ones caught in the middle
Always experience privation.

Could this story end
Not with tears but with laughter?
Will the two ever live
Happily ever after?

- by Bob B