Gael Attal Poet Free verse

The Philosophy of War

"Men die by the hundred thousand"
Just like that, with one command
As if we're discussing grains of rice, or sand
As though there's no need to expand



When in truth every one felled
Can mean more than
The cause and the effect
And the circumstance and the consequence
And the situation and the solution
Of war itself


But that's not War...


For there is no nobility
Or elegance or beauty
Of any kind
That any mind
Can fathom
Or any conscience
Can stem


But that's not War...


They die for honor.
They sacrifice for valor.

They die for country
Fall like sentry
Which makes it alright
Because apparently
Heaven knows their plight
And therefore justifies their fight

But that's not true,


And that's not War...


Because there's no decency
And there's no excellency
In this kind of death.

For even Death himself has found
That he flinches at the sound
Of the blood splattered ground
Shaking around him


But that's not War...


It's gotta be money then
That's gotta be the reason
It's gotta be the definition
Of what war's all about.

Maybe it's the dying children
Maybe that's what they call treason


Nope.

THEY FIGHT FOR PASSION! FOR LOVE! FOR PRESERVATION OF RIGHTS! FOR ANTI-
TERRORISM! FOR WORLD PEACE! FOR SOMETHING RIGHT?

Nope.


For you can't label
This grotesque industry
Because it's impossible
To apply it with morality

Because war
Isn't deep
With massive gore
It's shallow and steep

Because war in itself is the greatest example
of human extravagance put to the test and pushed
to the outer limits of vanity where it can ironically
pretend that it stands for anything more than what it is.
And like all of the greatest and most celestial human epiphanies,
it comes without justice and reason. Because once we've stooped down
to the point where we can tear each other apart... nothing really exists


Politics fades
Justice waves
At your facade


And criminals
And lunatics
And judges
And presidents
And doctors
And lawyers
And corporations
And reporters
And heaven
And hell...

They laugh at this charade.


Tricked you again. Because


That's not War.


No.




War is when a homeless man
Dies of hunger without a plan
Because justice has put a ban
On letting him simply take what he can

To live.


This is War.

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Gael Attal January 12, 2009 at 4:17 PM Actually the peice can be interpreted in many different ways including Literal, Ironic, Satirical, And serious. It was written out of in-war experieces in my life.

John Loving Iii January 12, 2009 at 4:14 PM to the contrary, it is just the oppisite. but for a long long piece which i do not tolerate often; unless my attention can be held by the shear artfulness, cleverness, ability to keep me awake. this piece passed the test. great work. John H Loving III p.s. there is a difference between oppression and war.