A Smaller War Poem by Jan Oskar Hansen

A small war

At the outskirt of Europe a war
has broken out in countries where every one drives Lada
mothers interviewed are proud of their sons
defending their land.
Should one son die, a big picture will appear in the living room
neighbours invited to coffee and cakes
his proud mother will tell what a good boy he was
and he died with honour.
I suppose in Nazi Germany, mothers said the same
until there were no sons left.
There will be peace, and everyone will claim victory
life will go on among the semi-literary people
who are doomed to live among high mountains and not learning
from past mistakes