WAR

Take a side, suicide, homicide, genocide.

Blink an eye, children die, apple pie, mothers cry.

Rivalry, strategy, trickery, tyranny.

Leadership, fellowship, statesmanship, censorship.

Hungering, bartering, capturing, conquering.

Forcible, dutiful, pitiful, horrible.

Wearisome, worrisome, quarrelsome, tweedledum.

Fortitude, quietude, solitude, turpitude.

Ravaging, martyring, lingering, shattering.

Arbitrate, deprecate, formulate endless hate.

On and on, Pentagon, Dearest John, pink chiffon.

Pragmatist, socialist, atheist, scientist.

Cowardice, prejudice, artifice, armistice.

Fornicate, amputate, instigate, procreate.

Tolerate, vegetate, violate, compensate.

Count the dead, go to bed, filled with dread... Enough said.

by  Chuck Keller

©  2006