Around and Around
Again and yet again
Boys come in and boys go out
Vestal innocence trampled in battle's rout.
Where war’s carousel will stop
Nobody knows...
Under a jungle canopy big top
War's roustabouts fight for life in gloom repose
I suppose...
As quarrelsome waves in fire and thunder crash
In this circus of the senses clash
Combat acrobats juggle life and death
Many take last fervid breath
In gladiatorial combat rising,
Falling
Mouths undulating
Of great spectacles speaking
Eloquently of love to war to hate
Mankind’s dark fate
Of the brutal show Reminiscent
vividly effervescent
Charlies all around
Ears aching with killing’s grotesque sound
From front to back to front found.
They say brave men don’t cry...
But I’m crying
Yet still I ride the carousel
In and out of hell
To this day dreaming
In my soul dying
Napalmed on lonely forested track writhing
Festering visioning
Reminding of the killing...
Brimstone imbedded into my brain there
Fetid war winds blowing my hair
Shades of patriotism rise to do it all again
Maybe this time we'll win
Coerced to fight the crusade compulsion
Memories beckon of the carousel's revolution
Hate to pity to sorrow to passionate cares
Sulphered Agent Orange tears
Still dizzy from the ride
With no place to hide
In that foul forested pit
Without healing respite.
Unleash the horrid circus beast
Till comes the sideshow, peace
Old warriors yearning for learning of love
Instilled wonderment from the master above
Running this merry-go-round...
What does he think of my thinking profound
The best show to be found
From his grandstand seat watching
Just on high observing...
Will I catch the brass ring
As a warriors' sorrows I sing
Win an all-expense-paid trip to the wall
My be all and end all
As summer turns to fall
In cacophony of Hedonistic sound
Will the victor in glory be crowned
Forevermore waking to the primal scream
Running through Elysian fields of yesterdays I careen
Time to wonder
What did we discover
In Nam’s dance round and round...
A do-si-do locked with Charlie bound
What have we learned
Or have we learned
At all...
From the dark'ning historic annals pall
Round and round again...
And again...
Have we learned enough to teach
Those who for glory war's carousel reach
Can we repel the hate in war hawks hidden?
Reach those who’ve not yet the war beast ridden
Repel the thought mistaken adventure does enthrall
Expose ringmasters of this carnival
Living but to stump the circuit of hate
In battles' conflagrations irate...
Honing erudite warrior skills lest they disintegrate
Honoring the ancient hoary beast abominate.
Or does our nation's favored seed
Our blessed children need
To go back and do it again
To try again
To win
Again and again,
Worlds without end...
The flower of youth doomed forever
And ever
To reap the harvest, dogs of war sow
How can they know
If old warriors do not tell them so
Feeling a duty knowledge of the beast to bestow.
Teach our children God’s loving precept
The “No man is an island” concept...
Only when this principle is rooted in the heart
Can we on eternal pathways start
To in true brotherhood grow
At last the glory of God finally know...
At last disassemble war's carousel
Send it careening back to hell...
War And Peace
by Gary Jacobson
From out of the mouths of cannons of war
From the shrieks of the dying vile hatreds bore
Armies cry out
To the depths of jungles irate
Malevolent legions
Embroiled in fetid hate
Cankered by rancor
Spelling their fate
Spilling o’er evils men’s souls to saturate...
Comes a weary olde warrior's cry, "No more
No more"
Comes a message to destroy war
Evermore
Echoing thoughts to sanity restore...
The message from the dank soul of war
Contending with incarnate evil good does abhor
Is one of abiding
Everlasting
Peace
Anchored coinciding
With brotherly love that will not cease
A principle irrevocably decreed
Verily a command indeed
Put aside the prideful seed
Dispel thy rancorous
Barbarous
Greed
Melt guns into plows and pruning hooks
As admonished in all goodly books...
If there be disputation
With love work things out in communication...
Seeking of Divine implementation...
Do this and God will smile...
O yes, God will smile...
For though it has taken mankind awhile
Love for all is God’s first and greatest law...
By which is revealed prophesies all...
For in His loving eyes
The only way to in truth be civilized
From out of His great goodness apprised
To bring about a Celestial dispensation
Is by brotherly love one for another
In respectful consideration.
Love is truly the bottom line...
Finitely written in the annals of time
Instituted...commanded...by the Divine...
We must learn to love before entering His kingdom
For in love is entailed our greatest freedom...
When will we ever learn...
0, when will we ever learn...
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