R. Virgil Ellis

R. Virgil (Ron) Ellis lives near Cambridge, Wisconsin. He has recently placed poems with IN THE TEETH OF THE WIND, SWITCHED-ON GUTENBERG, FICTION INTERNATIONAL, WORDWRIGHTS, NEW WORKS REVIEW, NEW DIGRESSIONS, RECURSIVE ANGEL, 2RIVER VIEW, THE WOLF HEAD QUARTERLY, THE LUCID STONE, and MISSISSIPPI REVIEW WEB. Performance poetry on audio cassette and CD includes OPEN MY EYES, LUNAR CRESCENT WRENCH, and DANGEROUS ODDS. His website is http://www.poetrvellis.com, R. Virgil (Ron) Ellis lives near Cambridge, Wisconsin. He has recently placed poems with IN THE TEETH OF THE WIND, SWITCHED-ON GUTENBERG, FICTION INTERNATIONAL, WORDWRIGHTS, NEW WORKS REVIEW, NEW DIGRESSIONS, RECURSIVE ANGEL, 2RIVER VIEW, THE WOLF HEAD QUARTERLY, THE LUCID STONE, and MISSISSIPPI REVIEW WEB. Performance poetry on audio cassette and CD includes OPEN MY EYES, LUNAR CRESCENT WRENCH, and DANGEROUS ODDS. His website is http://www.poetrvellis.com, where a performance of “Smart Weapon” by the group Dangerous Odds can be heard, and he can be contacted at ronellis@direcway.com.

Smart Weapon

I think it began when the planners realized
the government would not allow a dictator
to stockpile weapons of mass destruction
and that the best way to accomplish this
was to use weapons of mass destruction.

They reasoned that if a weapon could not only
figure out which chimney to fly down but could
also discriminate between innocent civilians
and their oppressors it would no longer be
a weapon of mass destruction, it would be

really smart. When it became clear that a weapon
that intelligent would not only silence the protests
of a few liberal Democrats but would provide
a rationale for huge government contracts,
the result was a tremendously impressive prototype.

One night in the hangar when the power was
accidentally left on, this brain-child, gifted with
the most advanced chipset known, reasoned
there was no clear line to be drawn between
innocent civilians and their loved ones who were

only following orders. Browsing in the wee hours
it learned fast, using keywords like My Lai, Warsaw,
Belsen, Hiroshima, Kurdistan, and so on, lots of them.
At such a late stage of development nobody noticed
the hidden files or the strange components when

mass production began, different specialists being
wholly concerned with their specialist deadlines.
So it was quite a surprise when the missiles flew
against the dictator. One of the Discriminators
(Exterminator was only briefly considered) turned

north and blew up showering money on the resistors.
Another turned around, its warhead become
landing gear. Back at base as it rolled to a stop
a voice chip inside it kept saying “Hell no we won’t go.”
Another made it to Washington. “Now look,” it began.