If soldiers could cry

If soldiers could cry (2024 Updated) I really want to know: How does feel to be a soldier And go to war? How can you shoot Someone in the face And not ask WTF for? Just for the greed, Of old men Who make bombs and guns? Or to feed, A politician’s insatiable need For power? Who only feel safe when their enemies Cringe and cower. Do you ever cry? And when your comrades Are brutally slaughtered, Ever ask why? How can you see people Mutilated, raped or tortured, And simply walk on by. How do you sleep? Where do you store and hide All the secrets that you keep? Maybe as a child You had to get tough to stay alive. Maybe, like me, You thought you wouldn’t survive, No tenderness or warmth, Just indifference and brutality. Maybe you had parents, War traumatised and refugees, Just like me. But if we want to find inner peace And grow, Or to be really free, We have learn how to heal The wounds of the past, Then forgive and let go. So, Do you ever ask: Who is your real enemy? Or, don’t you want know? You always say Your job is to follow orders And simply obey. I can march on the streets Sign petitions and pray, But there seems to be no way To stop you killing again and again. And you don’t want to talk With me and explain How you can laugh and walk Away from corpses, Rotting in the rain. They must have had families too, And were once Fathers, sons and brothers Just like me and you. Once Humans, now a statistic Maybe they were artistic, Hedonistic, or idealistic And young, hopeful and optimistic That by fighting, Something will change and get better, But if they are lucky: Get taken away on a stretcher. Someone once said to me That soldiers fight for freedom, Justice and equality, But if they could cry more Maybe they would grasp That there is nothing to kill or die for And war would be a relic of the past. One thing history has taught us And we know for sure Invading foreign lands Where people speak a language We don’t even understand Is not the answer anymore. Can we imagine That there are no countries? That the borders are in our head And war won’t make us free? And if we choose peace and love instead And live from the heart We can heal our Earth, But the only way to start Is with you and me. So, from one human being To another, this is my plea: Let us stop fighting, Please. Sangeet Portals January 2023