Revised edition: Chemistry Sets and Toy Soldiers

Water and carbon,
Hair and skin,
The chemistry set
Of magnesium strips that I light
As if by sorcery,
The fire I demonstrate for you,
Rubbing sticks, snarling flint against flint,
Side by side we will render the earth,
Till it with blood and tears of sweat,
Germinating and generating
I will reap and sow the labour of man
To testify in stone wonders
Of pyramid and statue and temple,
I will inaugurate swathing populations
Justifying and defending
The empirical nature of our being,
Though I will make myths of all this too.
I will make you a General
In my benevolent dictatorship,
I will watch you march up and down
Polished and heels of clickety-click,
Under order, to anthem
With your tin soldier army.
When you sulk I will avoid coups
By consulting bearded astrologers
And adding to your distinction;
I will make you my minister
For propaganda or put you in charge
Of secret missions,
I will give us names like robes
To dress ourselves in.
Together we will root and rifle through
The dog-eared hand-me-downs
Of my toy box,
We will lay it all out like ingredients,
We will place our questions at the altar
And receive the same answer
From the Magic-8 ball
As every other time we asked before:
All our edifices fall,
It is always the same construction,
It is always leaving and returning.