This poem by Carl Nyberg is best understood in the context of his service. First as a Naval officer, then as a UN Peacekeeper, and as a naval whistleblower, he was witness to the illusion of power and the reality of violence. Now, as a veteran who has worked on issues of international peace and justice since his time in service, he bears witness to what he has seen and lived.
The Illusion of Importance
It’s all bullshit
The illusion of an important reality
Waiting for the reality of violence
To be chosen
By leaders who are unworthy
But chosen by a system
That goes back centuries
That goes back genocides
Carl Nyberg is a 1989 graduate of the US Naval Academy. After being an active duty Navy officer for 7 1/2 years, he stayed active on military matters and foreign affairs. On active duty he served on two ships homeported in Japan. He volunteered as a UN peacekeeper in Cambodia (1993). At Navy Recruiting District Chicago he did officer medical recruiting and investigated (enlisted) recruiter misconduct. He ended his active duty time as a Navy Recruiting Command whistleblower. After active duty he was part of the US Campaign to Ban Landmines (1997) and appeared in the media and a book as a subject matter expert on military recruiting and DOD Inspector General investigations. He was working in DC on international peace issues when the 9/11 Attacks happened and got to see how Congress and the peace community responded. He is a member of Veterans For Peace.