Fire and Blood

by C.B. Jerman

The world is filled with fire and blood

Though most fire is just for destruction

The frenzy and clamor of anger and strife

Cause young men to die and take life

Why does the fighting ne’er cease?

Why must the young pay for old?

It’s the rich and the strong

Shaking hands behind smoke

Who smile and send boys to their deaths.

They cite their just God and claim

“Peace won through fire”

And the war-machine wheels start to turn

But the old men don’t see

How the young man will feel

‘Til he’s shocked and missing his limbs

But then he’s simply a hero

A young man who chose honoring life

They never look in and say

What about him? No they can

Only see numbers and lights.

I do not say “never fight wars”

Nor that some wars are not necessary

But the arms of the empire

Exerting its grip causes more

And more old men to falter

And slip and then yell and cry

“We must have war!”

The military is not just for threatening

It’s an extension of leaders’ domains.

These are mothers and fathers

They’re sons and they’re daughters

They’re brothers and sisters in arms.

They will go and die where you tell them

But please make those sadnesses count

They will always defend till the

Very last breath but don’t make

That last breath be for oil

Or bananas or power or influence

Let it be so the world may be just

Have us fight to stop murder-killing

And help children be healthy and strong

For they are what we must look forward to

They’re our pride and our hearts and our joy

We must teach them that freedom and living good lives

Is the legacy of our sacrifice.

We cannot say our fight is for justice

And protecting the weak from the strong

For we’ve taken the strong and turned them to weak

And taken the weak and made ourselves strong.

But the children grow up hating us for their lives.

Because we took  away what was good

We can be the police or the bringers of peace

But let us not claim what we aren’t.

There is life through the phoenix flame deaths

And there’s death in not caring for young lives

Old must foster and teach and 

Must live what they preach

Give us hope and please be our examples.