Thoughts About War, The Sermon on the Mount, and Mark Twain

The delusion continues
The one where there is peace on earth

Can anyone point to a place on the timeline
When there was peace on earth?

The nightmare continues
A lifeless child is found amid the rubble

Can anyone defend the taking of
A child’s life?

Individual efforts are dwarfed by
National interests

Politicians mask their narrow views and incompetence
With arrogance

While the poor
Those who mourn
The meek
The merciful
The pure of heart
Those who work for peace
Are considered to be “lunatics”
For there is no sense in what they say

Paul Cech has been writing poetry since 1970. Several of his poems have been published as Saturday Poems in the Pittsburgh- Post Gazette and the Thomas Merton Center of Pittsburgh has published several of his poems in NewPeople. Read other articles by Paul.