I’m tentative to write anything serious about war in any form but poetry more than most. There’s plenty of real War Poetry out there from people who have some actual idea of what that actually means and people like me have no more right to comment than politicians do with their sound-bites or armchair generals do when they indulge in cheap jingoism. But given the time of year I thought I’d make an attempt at ignoring my reservations and try to get something down. Although I do so fully aware of my ignorance and urge everyone to look to what’s been written by those with real understanding rather than paying attention to my, or anyone else’s, notions of something we haven’t experienced – and hopefully never will.
—
Johnny was a five year old
playing football in the yard
Ivan was a teenager
flirting badly, trying hard
Tariq was the nerdy kid
sitting lonely in the house
And Saeed was the sporting star
endless trophies still to count
But when the bullets hit them
shells exploding on the ground
the Generals smiled and called them men
sure to hold their ground
Flags were flown at half mast
from Boston to Baghdad
the children they had sent off
made them proud and made them sad
Politicians, they saluted
Passers-by all stopped to weep
Such brave young men they declared
may our kids all be like them
But while a child changes
and grows beyond the games
They weren’t the men we wanted
when they lost their chance to live
Because I still remember Johnny
playing football in the yard
Ivan chasing all the girls
trying far too hard
Tariq learning not to hurt
friends made in lonely times
And I still remember Saeed
always winning from the start
Because they were all still children
and at the final mark
the bullets that destroyed them
sent them nothing but the dark