I wrote this short poem during the short, brutal war in the Balkans. I was particularly touched by the tragic love of a Serbian girl for a Croatian boy. They both died so unnecessarily. This poem is my protest at mankind’s brutality and stupidity. There can be so much beauty and love in the world, yet it is too often obscured by ugliness. I just wanted to show the pointlessness of intolerance.
Race
Dead and dying should be heard,
be they Moslem, Croat or Serb.
Come, see all, our fall from grace
Because of hatred t’wixt the race.
Why is it that we must kill
to live according to our will?
Should peace and harmony abide
down life’s broad highway we all ride?
Should religion be our faith
or force of arms decide the fate
of mothers, fathers, children, men
decide what, how, why, where or when
To live in shadowed death’s disgrace
each one according to his race.
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Nice poem
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Your words are true. Man’s will is often a horrid thing that takes away the lives and freedoms of innocent people. Thank you for your words, beautifully expressed.