Poet's Corner: Surviving

Man's been killing man since the beginning of time;
Volumes have been written in prose and in rhyme.
While the beauty of words reveal the cost of it all,
What if everyone refused to answer the call?

So many friends whose names are a blank
Enlisted to serve and climbed up the rank;
Put on the front lines to challenge the foe,
New young recruits are so often laid low.

Living with wars has been a part of our life;
Soldiers with scars have lived through the strife.
While those who somehow avoided the call
Missed having their names appear on the wall.

My uncle died in service aboard a navy ship,
Near an island folks go for a holiday trip.
My dad could not recall what he did each day,
But wept about friends who had passed away.

Families have lost parents, sisters and sons,
While arms manufacturers create more efficient guns.
Bankers have financed both sides in the fight;
They remain hidden, never in the light.

We never are told why soldiers must die;
Never get their share of the American pie.
Those who wrote history told lies in their game;
Making money on war to achieve their fame.

Billions of people since Man learned to kill
Have been murdered to enforce some maniac's will.
Everyone's connected and we want to survive,
But there's no joy in living when society takes a dive.