Quote of the Day

Causa Belli

They read good books, and quote, but never learn
a language other than the scream of rocket-burn.
Our straighter talk is drowned but ironclad:
elections, money, empire, oil and Dad.

--Andrew Motion

Motion is Britain's poet laureate. "Causa belli" is latin for "causes, motives or pretexts of war." Quoted in Guardian Unlimited, Motion said, "I do believe that, if there are weapons of mass destruction discovered in Iraq, something needs to be done. There is no compelling evidence yet. It may still come to light, in which case the picture changes. This is not a poem about whether we should go to war. We can't decide that because we don't yet know whether there are weapons. It's a poem about wishing to be more candid."