What it Takes

Rondeau; short poem consisting of fifteen lines written with two rhymes.

They advertise "Come, come, we'll make you a man,"
Little do you know that they'll slap a gun in your hands,
Point you somewheres, direct you to kill -
'Cause if you don't, that other guy will,
You can't question it, or fight it, or anything - you're a pawn in their plan.

You had such pride when it all began,
Not so much now, down in the trench, eating moldy meat out of a can.
Although everything's quiet, everything's still,
This is what it takes.

We smile in patriotism, defending the homeland,
But where O where has God gone, His guiding hand?
Forsaking us for the blood we spill,
Meanwhile my comrades lie in pieces downhill,
Sleeping while war lashes out with its bloody span.
This is what it takes.

Reviews

[Akira Kodama]

To be honest, I somewhat like how the line "This is what it takes" raises the question, "what exactly is 'it' that takes this?" for me. Although it also kind of leaves me here, wondering, somewhat pissed off that I don't know the answer. A good poem. It actually makes me feel something, although a different feeling than usual.