A Message From A Senior Demon To A Junior Demon: War Poem by Brother Jonathan Gardner

A word of advice from our master below
You should not be complacent, junior djin, nor go with the flow.
The war is hurting some,
but more needs to be done.

You must not reveal yourself, nor your ways,
Try to get shelling to last for weeks, not days.
Get each side to blame the other.
Keep secret, and they won't discover
That the real enemy is you, my demonic brother.

Harden the hearts of the political people.
Get hardliners to pray for victory in synagogue, mosque or steeple.
Ensure that martyrs of violence are not seen as killers.
Encourage commerce, and intercontinental arms dealers.

Thousands will die, and that's more for our chief.
Drown out the noise of those of religious belief.
Whether in mosque or synagogue or steeple,
Keep away from Godly, praying people.

A junior demon you are now,
But follow this advice and your ability will flower.
Confuse the people who really care.
Keep in the shadows and they won't even know that you're there.

The humans think this is war about land.
It's the age-old fight started by our master's enemy, and
It'll continue until we gather enough souls,
And the brighter the furnace burns with those human 'coals'.

Our biggest fear, what we dread the most,
Is that you, junior demon, get haughty and boast.
And get found out, discovered, and our work is undone
And the good people of all sides band as one.

You see, they fight, and hate, and kill, and maim.
If only they knew, they're all the Children of Abraham.
So be brave, soldiers of the darkness, take care.
Our biggest enemy is the man and woman and child of prayer.


[Brother Jonathan Gardner]
Copyright © ®2008, Brother Jonathan Gardner. All rights reserved.

Notes: Using the format adopted in 'The Screwtape Letters' by C S Lewis, a Christian book written in the style of, say, a senior demon writing to a junior demon, I've written this poem in a similar style. It's therefore written in the negative, as from one demon to another. I'm not glorifying war, not belittling it, nor trivialising it, just writting a poem that suggests the real enemies aren't humans on this side of the wall or that in the middle east (and elsewhere) , but the real enemy are demons who, as third parties, like nothing better than to get humans to wage war against other humans while they hide in the dark.

Ofcourse, you may not believe in a spiritual realm that interferes with mankind, but as the poem suggests, that's exactly what they want you to believe and that gives them room to manouvre and do their worst.

And ofcourse, I'm not suggesting that practical and political action shouldn't be used to stop wars etc, but additionally, I'm suggesting there is a lesser known spiritual dimension to it.