I could never understand
why you called them cowards.
Of all the words to be chosen
with the entirety of all of our bastard tongue
and every inch of anger
we had at our disposal
why question their bravery?

They were thieves
and criminals
and crazy zealots.
Dub them dummies
or maintain they manipulated by mullahs
or accuse them of delusions of divinity
– all more accurate
than accusing them
of fraidy-cat fearfulness.

They were defiant.
They were daring.
They didn’t know they would succeed
or whether that would be worse
than the alternative.
They jumped into danger
for their ideals.
Awful ideals, sure,
but there you go.

I don’t salute them,
but I acknowledge their drive,
their strength,
and their bravery,
because I know what these words mean
and I want them used correctly.