Ramp:
an inclined plane,
one of the simple machines
of civilization, basic yet ingenious,
like the lever, the wheel, the Archimedes screw.

Ramp up:
to increase the level, to escalate.
Often used recently to describe military ops:
ramping up the level of battle, as though men and tanks,
bombs and aircraft, climb up the slope of an inclined plane.

For all the technology,
the most primitive of civilized acts
still is war. We hike the stakes, push them
up the grade, hypoteneuse of destiny, right to
the edge, the precipice, ninety degrees to Armageddon.

03/27/2003

Posted on 03/27/2003
Copyright © 2024 Bruce W Niedt