Rebekah George Assignment 9

They say that all is fair in love and war.
But is it?
What is it for and how can we be sure
that we need it? We must admit that we are unfit
to decide the fate, a decision so great, of nations.
The world.
The children.
Legacy.
I think that it solves problems. Big problems.
When trouble blossoms and we’ve hit rock bottom—
When solutions run out—
When we’ve started to shout
At one another. Brother against brother.
Bloodshed. Rivers running red.
But was there a simpler solution?
A peaceful resolution. Or is hate our constitution?
Being passive may seem attractive, perhaps even a tactic—
The key to world peace?
Could it make the needless violence cease?
Or would it increase—
The power of some?
Those that, um, we should keep away from. Red rum.
What if they become the problem?
People want war. I believe that.
Aristocrats.
It is expensive, when you’re forced to be defensive, but—
Being on the outside looking in, the situation is a win-win.
They want Guns and Ships to balance. To shift
Power back in their favor. They want to savor the flavor
Of victory.
So contradictory.
Those that fight the hardest for peace, for them, war is a masterpiece.
They’ll never see a day of battle.
Never be herded towards death like cattle.
They won’t be aware of the poor mother’s nightmare
From which they’ve become rich. Without a hitch.
And that is why the whole affair is unfair.
Because the real monsters prosper
And foster false hopes of honor
On her only son.
Her husband.
Leaving her alone. Shaken to the bone.
With grief.
And that is seldom brief.