War and Religion

As Gods surround the mortals they create,

benevolent thoughts of peace negotiations.

While ancient suns still burn upon the stake,

*

power-hungry rulers choose the innocent's fate.

Maternal mothers pray: ‘Please send us rations,’

as Gods surround the mortals they create.

*

Flinted daggers morph, now tanks fire hate

across imagined borders of a nation.

While ancient son still bleeds upon the stake —

*

red blood of freedom drips a freedom lake.

The martyrs follow deities' proclamations,

as Gods surround the mortals they create

*

explosions rip through time, exterminate

the victims caught in madness execution.

While son of God still bleeds upon the stake

*

two thousand years of death, no charge to make

divided rulers pen negotiations.

As Gods surround the mortals they create,

they watch their children burn, for freedom's sake.

...

This was my first attempt at a Villanelle poem. I feel the repeated phrasing helps to compound the image of continuous military bombardment and its consequences. It was inspired mainly by my distress at the horrific events in Israel and Palestine, but its relevance is sadly becoming more global every day.

(Originally published at https://medium.com/the-lark/war-and-religion-5b46f84b5a58)