Why War? Poem by Linda Ori

Why do people go to war?
Why must nations fight?
This man wants what that man has
And each man thinks he's right;
Ever since the dawn of time
War has been around,
One man thinks he has the right
To steal his neighbor's ground;
They fight about religion,
They 've battled over slaves,
And in the end so many men
Lie burried in their graves;
One man fights for oil
The other fights for gold,
When will they learn that human lives
Must not be bought and sold?
Where is man's compassion?
What happened to his love?
When did he lose the sense to choose
The olive branch and dove?
Instead he craves the power,
He wants to have it all,
And if it takes the lives of man
He'll count them as they fall;
The world is in a sorry state
Because of greed and power,
We need to try to understand
This is the final hour;
Men must try to get along
With men of other nations,
To show respect for human rights,
These men of equal stations,
They need to learn to give and take
And understand each other,
For each was once a little child
Dependent on his mother,
But little boys grow into men
And often leave behind
Their gentle ways and carefree days -
Their inocence of mind;
Wouldn't it be wonderful
If men weren't so concerned
With how they look to other men -
This lesson must be learned:
It isn't in how strong you are
Or how you play the game,
It's knowing when to compromise
For all men are the same -
They need to feel important
And each man has to show
He has the need to be in charge,
But something he should know -
That every man that ever lived
Has had that same desire,
So each must learn to take his turn
Then gracefully retire.




Written during the Gulf War