Conflict War Zone Two countries at war, Caring not, who gets caught In the crossfire Of their discontent; In the ever accelerating noise Of their sharp barbed tongues.
Misinformation Is the name of their game; Manipulation, A prized weapon of choice. Poison drips steadily, Distilling in the charged air, Until truth, itself, Becomes an elusive fragmented memory. What is real? What is imagined? What is the manipulated version Of reality? What is the true version? It seems impossible to tell As barbs fly back and forth. Weapon after weapon, pulled and discarded For the moment; Moving on to the heavy artillery. We must destroy - Destroy everything Everything that is beautiful; Obliterate everything Everything that is Honest, fine and noble. Two countries At war, Destroying everything That stands in their pathways; Their only goal, to win, At any cost. Two countries, Still at war; No longer certain, What the original conflict Was all about. Two countries, Chewing up their citizens - Men, women and children. Two countries, Warring, Not caring That in the process, Innocent men and women die; Not caring, either, That innocent children, Caught in the crossfire, Die or are forever maimed. Not caring That in this destruction, They are destroying their Only hope For a better future. Two countries Sowing seeds of discontent Amidst the destruction So that even the winner Remains disillusioned, Unsatisfied. Two countries, Perhaps not realizing Not caring That the children who remain Have also been affected By the bitter conflict; Two countries, Not caring That their children, The hope of the future, Live with remembered hatred; With encapsulated bitterness - Bitterness that erodes the soul And leads to future conflict. Two countries, Both tired. Loser or winner Forced to rebuild: To attempt to create A better world And not knowing how To accomplish this From the seeds of Destruction and despair. Two countries, Bound by a new treaty, No longer certain what The original conflict Was all about. Why did we go to war? What did we win from war? Where have all the people gone? What makes our children So hard to handle? Two countries Confused, trauma-ridden, Forgetting that it was they Who sowed the seeds Of their children’s discontent. Conflict War Zone! Two parents Bound by marriage vows To love, to honor and to cherish Each other. Bound, by their humanity, To cherish the fruit of their loins; To cherish, to nurture and to treasure Their young Their children The hope of the future. Betty R. Stockley Copyright 1994