WAR POEMS

WAR  POEMS

By

Frank A Vollmer

WAR MEMORIAL

EIGHT COLUMNS OF GRANITE

AND A ROOF

WEATHERED BRONZE STAINING THE STONE

A PLACE WHERE WINDS GATHER TO SIGH

AND LEAVES TO DIE

HOW NOBLE THE WORDS UPON THE PLAQUES

WE WILL NOT FORGET

NOR SHALL YOUR DEATH BE IN VAIN

HOW MANY WARS AGO

HOW MANY MONUMENTS SINCE

ONE WOULD WISH THAT THE NOBLE THOUGHTS

COULD BE ENGRAVED UPON THE HEART INSTEAD OF STONE

BUT PERHAPS THE HEART IS HARDER

AND WOULD WEAR THE CHISEL OUT

MAYBE IT'S THE DARK LINES IN THE SKY OF A FADING DAY

THAT MAKES ME FEEL THIS WAY

WRINKLES ON THE BROW OF AN AGING SKY

STANDING BESIDE A MONUMENT WITH NOBLE WORDS

KNOWING WE HAVE AND WILL FORGET

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WHY IS IT

WHY IS IT

THAT PIOUS PEOPLE

WHO PICKET ABORTION CLINICS

ARE OFTEN THE SAME PEOPLE

WHO CHAMPION WAR

BOTH ARE KILLING

WHY IS IT

THAT PIOUS PEOPLE

DEFEND THE UNBORN

AND IGNORE THEM

AFTER BIRTH

WHY IS IT

THAT PIOUS PEOPLE

LOUDLY

AND PROUDLY

PROCLAIM

THEY’VE ACCEPTD JESUS

AND ARE SAVED

BUT HAVE NO INTENTION

OF MAKING THE WORLD BETTER

FOR ANYONE

NOT IN THEIR CLUB

I DON’T BELIEVE IN ABORTION

OR WAR

I DON’T BELIEVE

YOU CAN LEGISLATE

MORALITY

I DO BELIEVE

WE MUST BE CONSISTENT

GOD HAS SAID

THERE WILL BE NO KILLING

ON MY HOLY MOUNTAIN

WAR AND ABORTION

ARE KILLING

BUT WE SHOULD LABOR

TO ELIMINATE

THE CAUSE

FOR EACH

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WALTER REED

WHEN OLD MEN

SEND YOUNG MEN

OFF TO WAR

THEY SHOULDN’T CROW

LIKE ROOSTERS

AT THE VICTORY

AS IF THEY

HAD

PARTICIPATED

THEY PIOUSLY PRATE

FAMILY VALUES

AND SEPARATE FAMILIES

FOLLOWING BAD LEADERS

IS NOT PATRIOTISM

THE DEAD THEY HONOR

THE WOUNDED

THEY HIDE

IN SQUALOR

THEY WERE SENT TO FIGHT

WITHOUT PREPARATION

FOR EITHER WAR

OR WOUNDED

OLD MEN

SHOULD LEAD THE CHARGE

TO SEE IF THEIR WORDS

RING TRUE

AND YOUNG MEN

SHOULD LIVE

TO BE GRANDPARENTS

AND SPOIL THEIR GRANDCHILDREN

AS THEIR DUE

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IT’S SPRING

IT’S SPRING

THE TIME WHEN KINGS GO OFF TO WAR

NO MENTION OF DEATH AND INJURY

OF NEWLY MADE ORPHANS

DASHED AGAINST THE WALL

IT’S SPRING

WHEN KINGS GO OFF TO WAR

SO SAY THE CHRONICLES OF DAVID

LIKE A TO-DO LIST

ONE WAR CROSSED OFF

AND THE EARTH CRIES

I’VE HAD ENOUGH OF BLOOD

BUT NO ONE LISTENS

BUT GOD HEARS

AND SAYS

NOTHING HARMFUL WILL TAKE PLACE

ON MY HOLY MOUNTAIN

JUST AS WATER FILLS THE SEA

THE LAND WILL BE FILLED

WITH PEOPLE

WHO KNOW

AND HONOR THE ME

WE ARE TASKED TO CLIMB THAT MOUNTAIN

AND FIND PEACE

HOW I WISH I KNEW HOW

BUT TO LOVE WAR

OR BE HAPPY WITH WAR

IS WRONG

AND NOT ALLOWED

ON GOD’S HOLY MOUNTAIN

WOULD I HAD A MAGIC WAND

THAT I COULD WAVE

OR ANGEL DUST THAT I COULD SPRINKLE

ON A WORLD GONE MAD

OR EVEN A POLLYANNA RX FOR THE WORLD’S ILLS

GOD PROMISES US PEACE

BUT PEACE NOT BOUGHT BY WAR

BUT BY FORGIVENESS

AND THE TURNING OF THE OTHER CHEEK

AND ADMITTING OUR FAILURES TO BE GODLIKE

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CHRISTMAS IN THE TRENCHES

WE MET AFTER THE WAR

FRITZ AND I

WE WERE LUCKY

SO MANY DID NOT SURVIVE

WE AGREED

IF LEADERS HAD TO FIGHT

ALONG WITH THE MEN

THERE’D BE LESS WAR

OH WHEN THEY KILLED A FRIEND

WE’D BE ANGRY AT THEM

BUT MOST OF THE TIME

IT WAS TWO GROUPS OF MEN

SHARING THE MUCK

SO ON CHRISTMAS EVE

ONE GROUP STARTED SINGING

THE OTHER RESPONDED

THE WARMTH OF THE SOUND

DREW BOTH SIDES TOGETHER

SOON WE WERE SINGING

AND LAUGHING TOGETHER

EXCHANGING CIGARETTES

AND CHOCOLATE

GIFTS FOR A KING

I HADN’T JOINED THE ARMY TO FIGHT

BUT FOR THREE SQUARE MEALS

AND A ROOF

IT WAS HARD TIMES

OH WE’D YELL GROSS JOKES AT THEM

THEY’D YELL BACK

THE ROUGH HUMOR OF MEN

WITHOUT WOMEN TO CIVILIZE THEM

I LOOKED AT FRITZ

AND WONDERED WHY

WE HAD TRIED TO KILL EACH OTHER

WHAT VANITY

TOLD US

WE MUST SHED BLOOD

WHAT INSANE LOGIC OF OUR LEADERS

TOLD US

WE MUST SHED BLOOD

WHAT PIECE OF LAND

IS SO VALUABLE

WE MUST SHED BLOOD

ALONG WITH CHRIST ON THE CROSS

I YELL OUT

WHY

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AN OLD VETERANS TALE

BY THE WATERS THAT BABBLED ON

WE CROUCHED IN SHELL HOLES

ERIE SHADOWS BY STAR SHELLS

RUMBLING AND FLASHES OF CANNON

STACCATO SOUND OF RIFLE FIRE

WE WERE IN RETREAT

WE WERE HURRYING

TO MAKE A NEW DEFENSE LINE

OUR SQUAD’S JOB

WAS TO BLOW THE BRIDGE

AND PROTECT OUR WOUNDED

WE WERE SHORT OF TRUCKS

WE WERE SHORT OF EVERYTHING

I  REMEMBER

ANOTHER TIME

 ANOTHER PLACE

ANOTHER BRIDGE

A PICNIC BASKET

WAS ON THE BLANKET

WHERE WE SAT

TROUBLE FREE

AND HAPPY

WELL FED

FROM THE BRIDGE

THEY WERE SHOOTING FIREWORKS

FIREFLIES IN THE SKY

WHILE THE RIVER BABBLED ON

OUR MISSION WAS TO BLOW THE BRIDGE

AND PROTECT THE WOUNDED

THE ENEMY HAD A HABIT OF BAYONETING

BLOW THE BRIDGE

BEFORE THE REFUGEES CROSS

THE ENEMY WOULD MIX WITH THEM

AND INFILTRATE OUR LINES

ON THE BLANKET

OUR ONLY DECISION

WAS

SHOULD WE PUT MUSTARD ON THE HAM

I AM AN OLD MAN NOW

I’VE GROWN TIRED

OF OTHER OLD MEN

SENDING YOUNG MEN

TO SUFFER AND DIE

THERE SHOULD

THERE MUST BE ANOTHER WAY

ON THE BRIDGE CAME A MOTHER AND CHILD

I THOUGHT IT WAS A MOTHER AND CHILD

I WASN’T SURE

I HAD WOUNDED TO PROTECT

I BLEW THE BRIDGE

THE WIND BLEW THROUGH

MY TRUE LOVE’S HAIR

QUICKLY WE RAN TO THE GAZEBO

TO ESCAPE THE RAIN

WE WON THE BATTLE

THE WOUNDED WERE SAFE

THE BRIDGE WAS BLOWN

BUT WHEN I SEE MY WIFE

HOLDING HER GRANDCHILD

I DO NOT SLEEP EASY

WITH MY MEMORY

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