Vilifying the droves of soldiers
Standing row upon row before their doom
Partial glory, partial gory,
Heroes not in Motive nor in the larger story
Everyone of them a past with childhood
Gone, perhaps forgotten, perhaps cherished
Nothing betrays to them their future
Vociferous is Fate
When before the battle
Courage is honored (and also hate)
Perhaps, though, thoughts meander
Mother, lover, dinner with tomorrow’s date…
May we judge them
Solely for their future actions?
Murder, barbarous destruction of the dreams of peace
Quoting one far-off leader’s lies
Nodding to commands with ease?
Come! Is not every one of us
(most every one of us)
Lost among the labyrinth
Of this same infernal disease?
Boldly, bravely, bitter, banally blameless?
Do we not rather, in all OUR actions and our dreams
Seek to root out
Our own fledgeling soldiers,
Sleeping, waiting, silent
For some future unknown signal?
So that we shall NOT suddenly stand ready
To wake, partake ourselves in
The grand extermination
Of Peace…?
©2022 Len Shirts