It’s only anonymity
Which makes us go to war;
When soldiers meet up face to face
They wonder what it’s for.
They talk of friends and relatives,
About whom they all care;
Discuss the beauty of the world,
Which they delight to share.
They do not bow to nation states
Or military types,
Whose mission is to keep them down
By tapping on their stripes.
They scoff at catapults and guns
And throw them on the ground;
They shake opponents by the hand,
To chimes of wordless sound.
Wow. The words of truth and of every other soldier at war. Thank you for this Stephen, absolutely loved it.
An aspirational poem, a prayer sent out into the cosmos. "Last night I had the strangest dream
I ever dreamed before
I dreamed the world had all agreed
To put an end to war" (Simon & Garfunkel song). Thank you Stephen! So encouraging to hear voices for peace even in the face of humankind's seemingly endless path of war & violence. The words here are poetically spot on; I especially like the last line: "They shake opponents by the hand, To chimes of wordless sound."
Stephen, thank you for an array of words which speak the truth about most conflicts. People are not recruited to fight; they are coerced and mentally manipulated by politicians especially tyrants and dictators.
Keith
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Stephen Gospage
Mon 6th Mar 2023 07:32
Thank you for the interesting and supportive comments, Keith, Hélène and Manish. I recently saw an interview with an Argentinian soldier (of British descent) who was captured in the Falklands War and was surprised how comfortable he was talking to and swapping stories with his captors. He made that point that 'only anonymity allows us to fight wars'.
My thanks to Meherunisa, John, Nigel, Hugh, Holden, Poemtheart and Frederick for their support.