When Will It End? Poem by Etienne Charilaou

Who can stop the slaughter
that is to come?
Belligerents, hate-filled,
make plans for each others'
destruction.
The dark forces manipulate,
seduce, convince -
no time for reflection or wisdom.
All the lessons of the past forgotten
in the latest incarnation of human woe.

When will soldiers say, 'No, we will not kill
the other - for the other is ourself.
There is another way to be: violence is not infinite
and our ultimate destiny.'

'And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.'

No human being can stop the slaughter.
It must go on, many will suffer:
women, children, the young, the old.

I recall the Bhagavad Gita's lessons in detachment.
And I recall this too: 'These things must be
but if you do not believe you too will perish.'
At the moment neither is making me happy,
and human beings are so, so stupid.