Madrid, Athens, Berlin, Moscow, Washington, London

We’ve seen this all before
how things turn out
when the glove is thrown down.
The coup d'etat
against an elected government.
Hesitation by its leaders
whether to equip its supporters
with arms from a friendly regime.
A general increase in acronyms 
and initialisation.
The chaos at the barracks
(a sergeant opens the gates 
only to be gunned down by an officer).
the soldiers converging on the capital
air cover provided by a foreign power
dress rehearsing for a bigger war.
The fifth columnists pretending allegiance.
The stalemate and atrocities
the siege and its end
the executions.
The memorials.
The glove trodden into the mud
from a dead man's hand.