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War is Hell


drink a toast to freedom
and light a candle for our fears
the young men are dying
while we sit and wipe our tears
we laugh and cry as time goes by
and soon it will be years
since the leaders of our country
engaged those awful gears

drink a toast to liberty
and light a candle for our souls
the young women are dying
while we play our silent roles
we pray and sigh as people die
and hearts are left with holes
heads of state have set the rate
and now we pay the tolls

drink a toast to justice
and light a candle for all mankind
if we continue with an eye for an eye
soon we'll all be blind
we wail and weep and cannot sleep
with all the deaths in mind
graves are filled with people killed
and ashes left behind

drink a toast to victory
and light a candle for those who fell
it was done in retaliation
will be the story that we tell
a rattle of swords to show the hordes
that we have death to sell
lives are lost at any cost
because war is hell

A contest entry

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Comments

1 - 10 of 10

  • sOuL
    July 20, 2008
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    very good poem
    and it has great inner meaning
    thanks for joining the contest


  • Hetha gold member
    July 17, 2008

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    I see a lot of talent, depth and consideration for the words placed in this piece. I thank for gracing our contest, with your words.

  • Yvette Champ gold member
    May 27, 2008

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    Well worthy of an Honourable Mention dear Poetess, your poem places the perplexity of the complexity that is stitched to the rage of the war torn machine and indeed " lives are lost at any cost" What price a life? I felt guilty reading this, my pleas and petitions for peace have not prevented the loss of any lives and I feel for everyone on both sides for there are no winners within the raw reality of war. What is mankind fighting for but the freedom to fight? There is a general uproar of disagreement if I post a poem re euthenasia for those who feel their quality of life is unbearable and who are terminally ill, no, it's wrong so many say and yet many of the same cannot see that to sacrifice life with weapons in the name of war is right. Well spoken.In the time it took me to share a perspective some have died violently,viciously, torn from their skin by shrapnel, it is not a game and yet we all feel the grief of a lost one and there is no end in sight to the apportion of blame, why not at least a ceasefire as a compromize and a chance to be humane?

  • Sky Prince Ireland gold member
    May 27, 2008
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    Nothing short of truthful. Truer words were never spoken. Thanks for entering.
    Good luck.
    Brian

  • ecrivain01
    January 3, 2008

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    The meter is a bit ragged ...

    but the idea works very well, and you've certainly hit the nail on the head with this. I'd add "simply" to the last line:

    because war is simply hell.

    That would help the meter a lot and make the about a thousand times more powerful. I agree with your cheering section that this is a very good poem. You should send this to the Democrats running for President (the Republicans wouldn't care).


    • malmadre gold member
      January 3, 2008
      Edit | Reply
      thanks for the tip,
      I know nothing of meter so any information from experienced poets is welcome


  • Gratitude
    January 1, 2008

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    Oh my goodness, this is good. I love the poigniance in 'drink a toast...and light a candle'. The repetition of these phrases gives continuity and reinforces the sense of powerlessness. It's as though all we can do is go through our sorrowful rituals as we watch events unfold. I hear a great, sad, unwritten sigh here...Well done! It must have been very hard to keep to the rhyme scheme without diluting the strength of your words but you have done it expertly.

    • malmadre gold member
      January 1, 2008
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      I am humbled by your words. War is so barbaric in this modern world, there must be a better way. Thank you for the beautiful comment


  • Ariosto II. gold member
    December 30, 2007

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    this is really good. I'm sorry my posts have been so sporadic, this has been a particularly chaotic holiday season for me.
    this poem really captures the frustration most of us feel about war in general and this one in particular.
    have you tried writing free verse?
    Don't get me wrong I love rhyme, but rhyme sometimes is limiting especially when the content can be passionate and brutal

    Hope you had a great Christmas and good luck with this one!

    david

    • malmadre gold member
      December 30, 2007
      Edit | Reply
      I am relieved that the Christmas holiday is past also. We celebrate the birth of a man who would not endorse the mess we are in globally as if it wasn't really happening.
      I also want to try some free verse but it might come out as garble. The rhyme just flows out sometimes...I might be an unrealized rapper...lol
      hope to see you soon

1 - 10 of 10