Indelible Guilt. Poem by ivor or ivor.e hogg

Indelible Guilt.

More scenes of devastation.
The tides of war have left behind.
A naked child wanders alone.
She does not know the ground is mined.

She cries for aid but there is none
There is nobody left to care.
The tides of war have come and gone.
Death and destruction everywhere.

The lucky ones are those who died.
Though she survived: What chance has she
A helpless infant cast aside.
To starve to death most probably.

She may be killed by predators.
Who see her as their lawful prey.
Obeying Mother Nature’s law
Because they know no other way.

Kill or be killed the age old law
Instinctively they all obey
Each and every predator
The hunter can become the prey.

But Man the greatest predator
Brushes Natures rules aside
His greatest skill is making war
His blood lust never satisfied.

What of the child? No one can say
It must remain a mystery
The memory haunts me still today
When I look back regretfully.

The guilt I feel is permanent
Does not abate with passing years.
Still flashbacks to that incident.
Reduce me to impotent tears.

That is the price that soldiers pay.
For answering their countries call.
A guilt that will not fade away
and makes no difference at all.

Though we recall the heroes fall.
No one records the innocent
The weakest ones go the wall
By long established precedent.

It seems that we will never learn
The lessons taught by history
Each generation in its turn.
Must learn experientially.

There are no winners in a war.
The strong survive the weak must die.
Mother Natures age old law
When demand exceeds supply.

Sunday,18 December 2011
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