The weeping song

Just words

                             The weeping song.


I wrote years ago. "When our soldiers are fighting in faraway wars. War will find us. War will come to our doorstep."

“Older men declare war. But it is youth that must fight and die.”
― Herbert Hoover

“There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people.”
― Howard Zinn

“They wrote in the old days that it is sweet and fitting to die for one's country. But in modern war, there is nothing sweet nor fitting in your dying. You will die like a dog for no good reason.”
― Ernest Hemingway

                                 The weeping song

Once I was a wild man afraid of nothing. Today I'm a old man who  had found his world filled with men of lies and treason. A world led by berserkers who will leave only blood and pain for the this generation and the next.

Inflamed hate had stole his dreams of a world knowing utopia and peace. Old Poet whispered. Please send food, water and medicine to the areas of our world knowing war and violence. Please don't send soldiers. Soldiers do what they support to do. Fight, kill and die for the old men in Washington D.C.

He looked into the mirror. A sober face looked back. A sober face of a man drowning in dreams dispersed in the lost and found of dreams and hope. He don't know the face looking back. He had become a stranger.

He was once a soldier, he was once a business man and now he rest his hope in his children and his grandchildren. He hold deep regret. His father gave him Vietnam and he left a world filled with terror and hate.

He had weeps for brothers to suicide and drugs, he weeps for good friends lost to war. Today he weeps for strangers killed in the new war of terror and hate.

Who is weeping for the homeless? Who is weeping for the people in the cradle of war? How do we tell our children. All things will be okay.

Today the wild man had gained knowledge. He pay attention to his world and he tried to understand the need to kill innocence people in the name of cause and reason.

“No one won the last war, and no one will win the next war.”
― Eleanor Roosevelt,
“It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it.”
― Robert E. Lee
“War is not the answer, for only love can conquer hate”
― Marvin Gaye
“The greatest thrill is not to kill but to let live.”
― James Oliver Curwood

Old man sit by Lake St. Clair. He prayed to the Gods of life and death. Please bring peace and calm to my world. This is one earth and one people. Every life had value.

                      John Castellenas/Coyote

Author's Note

Just war

Reviews

[.]

A very poignant piece.......

Very relevant to today's rapidly changing world, this piece is a very emotional cry for sanity to prevail; for an end to the bloodshed and the slaughter of innocents. As you said, there are no winners in war. Just losses.

You have put your heart and thoughts on your sleeve with this write, Coyote. And methinks your experiences, too. We can only hope that whoever gains control in your forthcoming elections has a level head and a strong conscience to do what is right and good and not what has been done in the past. Perhaps it is wishful thinking, but one must always have hope.

A very emotional piece of writing. Heartfelt and enthused with great quotations and wisdom. Fine work!

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you my friend. I pray for better days.

[Daisy]

This has so touched me to the core John.
"He looked into the mirror. A sober face looked back. A sober face of a man drowning in dreams dispersed in the lost and found of dreams and hope. He don't know the face looking back. He had become a stranger."
I can completely resonate with this line. you somehow penned down the feelings of every person deep within.. Somewhere we are all the same and we all want nothing but peace and happiness for ourselves and our children and this war is taking away things greater than life itself.
Thanks for sharing this lovely pice! :)

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you Daisy. No-one win in war. War steal the best from us.

[Daisy]

So very true John.

[Marianne Rose]

It is so amazing that those who commanded or participated in war are those who tell us war is not the way. To have seen war face to face, the realization of its damage to all of us and the earth is incalculable. Today I learned in a financial planning workshop that if we are doing our job right, the influence goes forward 7 generations. But our society has fallen into the deceit or greed of only planning for one or two generations. I can't see far enough ahead to see where we will be when my family reaches 7 generations in the future. War has been with us for so long, we have never broken the cycle. But it gets more lethal every day with our advancement of technology. When I was 15, I lost my boyfriend to Vietnam. It was the first time war touched close to me. Since then I have met so many scarred by the effects of war but it does not stop. Perhaps by now, every living thing and person on the planet has been touched directly by casualties of war, yet we are too hard headed to learn this lesson. Old man knows- what more to do than pray that peace and calm come to our world. That we return to what we must know deep inside- every life in every form has value. Thank you Coyote for your prayer of peace and words of wisdom.

[Coyote Poetry]

I pray daily for peace. I don't want my grandchildren to fight and die for the war machine. No winners in war. Thank you Marianne.

[Lorry]

Well I am just guessing here by thinking that a military background of some kind is in your life, or was and it is a refreshing change to read thoughts and opinions from someone who has been here and saw the true cost of war first hand. Maybe you do need to see it first hand to truly appreciate its horror and it isn't as simple as blue vs red or them vs us. Every victory seems somewhat pyrrhic against the backdrop of flag covered coffins, coming home with the respect they never found in the field. Seems too obvious to say that what is witnessed on these fields makes you into the person you become, but so too would finding ways to avoid needless death and suffering.
Powerful write, with real power and dynamics behind the words. Let's just hope that they all get back to tell their own tales. Superb.

[Coyote Poetry]

I hope so too. Too many young men and women. Learn war and death before love and finding their hope and dreams. Thank you for reading and the comment.

[Shabeeh Haider]

You have summed it up so well. War creates hatred, poverty, unrest and sadness. It is only a disease in the hands of rich and sick minds.
Thank you for sharing such beautiful and heart touching words.

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you Shabeeh. No-winner in war.

[Jon Roggie]

Regrets are a learning point. Change takes another step. Memories add fuel.

[Coyote Poetry]

Yes you are right Jon. New leaders have short memories.

[Dave]

It was Eisenhower, probably one of the ablest commanders during WW II. He warned the people of the U.S. to be aware of the "military/industrial" combination. War is not a very healthy activity! So many of our youth lie in graves from battles fought all over the earth.

It is time that youth be given its' just desserts and wars, if they choose to continue to have them, should be fought by old men.

[Coyote Poetry]

I agree Dave. Eisenhower saw the future. Thank you for reading.

[Ruth]

Sigh, poignant hon...you know my views on war, such loss of life...who is weeping indeed, for any of the tragic events of this world. I can only hold on to the light...as always an illuminating read...

[Coyote Poetry]

I pray for peace and calm. What will be left for the next generation? Thank you dear friend for reading and your comment.

[Ruth]

Always my pleasure hon x

[Pryde Foltz]

War is always long in coming ... we can stop it before it begins. Enough of us just have to wake up to the futility of making enemies. Strong and meaningful write, John:)

[Coyote Poetry]

I agree my friend. Few words of peace. Just words of separation from our leaders. Thank you Pryde for reading and the comment.

[ROSALIND]

Inspiring .

[mou]

it has been written with a very unique charming style,as I find at wc .. few days ago I had read a poem on this topic written by one of my friend but it is really different and beautiful..thanks for sharing with us..

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you dear poet for reading and the kind words.

[H.L. Cerveise]

Wow John this is a great poem. You have touched upon so many things that are wrong in this world. I love the quotes before and after your writing. It enhances the "song" so well. To me, they would be the refrain one could repeat between the stanzas. The last line, "Old man sits by Lake St. Clair. He prayed to the Gods of life and death. Please bring peace and calm to my world. This is one earth and one people. Every life had value..." touched me greatly. It is the lament all warrior poets should have if they don't do it already. Thank you so much for sharing this.

Well done.

[Coyote Poetry]

I agree my friend. No-one win in war. Thank you for reading and the comment.