The following poem was weitten to reflect the effects of the USA / Iran War on not only the heartland of the USA but also its effects on other countries including the effects on Newfoundland and Labrador.

Epic Fury,  Hunger In The Heartland,

Dedicated to the everyday people who bear the crushing economic and human costs of modern warfare—those who pay the true price at the pump and the grocery counter while leaders claim a hollow triumph.

The ticker tape is bleeding red across the neon screen,

A billion-dollar firestorm, the likes we’ve never seen.

They call it “Epic Fury,” but the name is just a shroud,

While the thunder of the engine drowns the voices of the crowd.

The ghost of old Khamenei is a shadow in the dust,

Replaced by silent sons in a circle of mistrust.

But names don’t fill the gas tanks or the empty kitchen shelf,

When every strike in Tehran is a strike against ourself.

We’re standing at the pump and we’re staring at the sky,

Asking for the reasons as the costs are climbing high!

The generals talk of “triumph” and “decapitating blows,”

But the hunger in the Heartland is the only thing that grows!

The Strait is slammed and bolted, a lock upon the tide,

While twenty-dollar diesel takes the nation for a ride.

The “Beautiful Bill” is broken, its promises are spent,

Buried in the desert where our treasury was sent.

A schoolhouse in the valley, a miscalculated aim,

Now silicon and shadows share the burden of the blame.

The “Maven” eyes are watching from a cold and lonely height,

Mapping out the targets in the middle of the night.

We’re standing at the pump and we’re staring at the sky,

Asking for the reasons as the costs are climbing high!

The generals talk of “triumph” and “decapitating blows,”

But the hunger in the Heartland is the only thing that grows!

From the shipyards of the Gulf to the markets in the East,

We’re feeding every dollar to the hunger of the beast.

The threat of a deadline was changed  in the sand

For the republicans guard kept a firm  defying hand

No flag can hide the fact that the grocery aisles are thin,

Or mask the bitter taste of the mess that we are in.

They promise us a “triumph” in a 15-point decree,

But peace is just a phantom that the people never see.

So crank the volume higher till the speakers start to crack,

There’s no “Mission Accomplished” when there’s no way to go back.

The Fury’s in the counting, and the Fury’s in the cost—

A war the leaders “win” while the rest of us are lost!

We’re standing at the pump and we’re staring at the sky,

Asking for the reasons as the costs are climbing high!

The generals talk of “triumph” and “decapitating blows,”

But the hunger in the Heartland is the only thing that grows!

James E mercer. – March 26, 2026, — Copyright  protected, all rights reserved.