War Stinks

W. T. Sherman was quoted as saying,

“War is Hell.”

That about sums it up.

Nothing redeeming in that catamount,

Stalking and preying on the unsuspecting

Without remorse til its hunger is sated.

Innocents dying;

            Collateral damage:

                        Battlefield sacrifice:

                                    Misfortune’s tariff.

Let all the heralds ring out with pomposity

The cause célèbres that your banners proclaim.

There is no glory.

There is no worthiness.

There is only emptiness tossed beyond reason.

 

When reckoning finally unravels,

When the survivors pick up the pieces,

When the net tally is calculated

Only one truth remains to be told:

 

War stinks.