curious how others consider political writing in their poems. how polemical do you make it. i've never thought of myself as a political writer at all, but present times seem to demand one speak however muted it may sound. i'm teasing out a half-ass thought about political writing. that when conditions get so outrageous, e.g. now [my thinking is spurred by the story today that the bush administration is set to enact a series of sanctions against iran's military. which in my mind might be the first step to justify war. and quite frankly a war with iran might be the start of wwiii. am i being alarmist, here?], that writers perhaps don't have an obligation to incorporate political viewpoints in their work, but a serious situation demands a serious response. which is a long way to say that a response from poets would be found within their work. a writing not above saying, you suck! but a writing also with humor, love and the iterations of our human being.