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The Untold Casualties of War

Who knows who are the casualties of war? 
Are they the wounded, maimed, and all the dead?
Who counts the orphans, widows, those displaced?
The untold truth, a light on this can shed

I also am a casualty of war
My soul is wounded by the grief I see
The war is raging here inside my head
I am held hostage, longing to be free

Survivor guilt is ravaging my nights
The blast of bombs, a morbid wake up call
Though I'm alive, I feel so dead inside
Like those cut down by hate, I take a fall

Destructor's cravings are insatiable
The sites destroyed include those of my mind
My tears pour down with that of martyrs blood
Like refugees, a haven I must find

A lesser casualty, yet I am one
This war is altering my very soul
I am ashamed to claim a numbered place
Yet war affects the country as a whole

Aggressors will not stop their rampant rage
The toll of death goes higher every day
Who counts the living dead, devoid of hope?
The shroud awaits the ones this war will slay

The casualties of war exceed belief
In Lebanon, war's reign defies relief

Eileen Manassian Ghali
The Untold Casulties of War
An extended sonnet
November 1, 2024

Copyright © Eileen Manassian

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