A proud Caesar decides on what must be done
If the noble cause is to be won
Orders are issued through the chain of command
His legions obey and prepare for more carnage in the land
The seeds of defeat and victory have been sown
Life, death, fear and courage yet to be known
Such is the bloody arena of war
And too few politicians ask the questions “What for?”
In dark surrounds, weary soldiers hear the distant bark of guns
It is the signal for bloody work to be done
Soon Into the muddy mire of combat, soldiers slip and slide
Dreams of precious loved ones faraway are cast aside
Side by side and trust in each other
With the demands and harshness of war, they become brothers
When it all ends they count their dead and no more the battle cry
Later with the sanity and calmness of peace, veterans ask “why?”
The years pass and a new Caesar is on stage with terrible ire
Preparing for the field of Mars with space age laser and fire
While his soldiers in brand new uniforms march through the streets
A war widow watches and revisits another time and quietly weeps
She recalls dreams, laughter and sweet love as it was meant to be
Etching two names with Eros and arrow on the trunk of a shady tree
Was it so long ago when her husband had waved a last goodbye
Now her son marches to war and she too asks “Why?”
George Mansford © October 2017
