We find each others self destructive button
In times of war, I will bring war to your door step
And we press push until we explode
Blaming games and ping pong battle, squash
Hitting balls to the wall with rage
Announcing our displeasure pronouncing our war stunts
Battle lines drawn, war songs sang, war mask worn
Drums beat to heighten our anxiety
Pulling out all the daggers with stained old blood
We are expected to act on instinct
Taste the blood on our tongues of our enemies
Welcome rage, live in the moment of welcoming death
Death as pleasure theirs or ours
It matters not, no one is to live this
Stained, drenched land, let no one alive
We came with good intentions
Now turned fanatics breaking all the eggs
In the birds' nest, stamping on wet shells
With yolk that sludge on the side.
Squashing them like a blender
Mixing their essence with the dirty sand
There would be no tomorrow, today as judgement day
There would be no salvage value none wanted
No common grounds to be left after this dance
In the center of the volcanic eruption
No one is to go looking for gold
Or any such rich minerals, tell phoenix not to rise
No one is to go talking of peace
This as a sacrilege to the cause
Punishable by death a gruesome death it shall be
Now would you believe me, if I told you
This is a romantic poem, a very romantic poem, a peace poem
A love poem, a heart poem, just in abstract settings
Very moving, a tragic subject to grapple with
ReplyDelete"We came with good intentions
ReplyDeleteNow turned fanatics breaking all the eggs
In the birds' nest, stamping on wet shells" - loved this verse in particular. The images are really well-penned, and I really didn't expect the poem to end as it did :)
I like how the last stanza questions the way we read and understood your poem. It engages us to read again, with different eyes!
ReplyDeleteStrong writing here, Kodjo. Emotion packed! I have really enjoyed your work lately. The ending surprised me and made me think about your former 'warlike' words. It seems then that your poem describes some kinds of relationships in which arguments are the norm....yet they profess to LOVE one another.
ReplyDeleteVery moving and the conclusion was fantastic. I love this piece for its vivid imagery and strong metaphors. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteUnexpected ending. Would love to you read this.
ReplyDeleteto talk of peace being a sacrilidge, ack...def a powerful verse brother..w.ar is the mechanism of our world sadly...or the only answer we seem to know...kill, kill, kill....
ReplyDeleteOne of your best, Kodjo. The mindset of war. Stepping on the eggshells in the nest is such a powerful image. Your closing stanza is simply brilliant.
ReplyDelete"Drums beat to heighten our anxiety"
ReplyDeletelike we're the prey to be flushed out into the kill zone. powerful write ~ M
ReplyDeletewhat a flow of strong words............
Powerful and timely. And great ending.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting and a wonderful read.
ReplyDeleteYes, we are all so anxious to fight which has been romanticized way more than peace and love.
ReplyDeleteWonderfully written, Kodjo! Glad to be a follower of your blog.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the read very much, smashing use of words
ReplyDelete