Am I guilty?
What about those who told me to pull the trigger
forced me to join the cause
trained me
supplied me...
and what about those who do nothing to stop them doing that?
War is not black against white
Communist against...
anarchism,
centrism,
fascism,
liberalism,
nationalism,
socialism,
leftism,
libertarianism
or any other "ism" you can think of
it's not them verses us
it's humans fighting humans
it's various disagreements
conflicts
motivations,
both political and societal
but it's not politics
It's not republics against democrats
It's not about getting rid of religious leaders of whatever faith
It's political leaders in hobnail boots
pulling the strings of puppets in military uniforms
with their shiny brass stars
and their polished medals
barking orders down phone lines
ordering people like me
to kill!
kill!
kill!
Politicians are not the ones who will do the killing
but they are the ones who send us
the young
fresh-faced
ideological teenagers to war
it is we who are drafted
forced to subscribe to their idiology
taught to kill
to obey the orders of the puppeteers above us
forced to be shipped out to foreign shores
to kill an enemy we do not know
teaching us to use the killing machines of war
lorded as heros
and more often than not
to be killed for a cause that isn't ours
whilst the whole world is watching
and what will you do with those who protest against war
those who didn't fall in line
do we send in the troops with guns and bullets on them?
How do we deal with that kind of person?
Or is it your right
for people protesting against the killings
to be killed themselves
beaten and mown down by your people in uniforms
controlled
corralled
denied their right to have their say
but they protest for us
we who are returning in bodybags
to grieving mothers
and politically coordinated burials
And...
why are the politicians having peacetalks whilst we are still fighting
whilst they argue about where everyone is going to sit round a table
they can't even agree what shape it should be!
Who are these people to talk about a war that I am having to fight?
Anyway - if they don't agree to our demands
we have more money than them
so can buy more weapons
so we can go on fighting!
And...
and what happens if I am lucky enough to survive the war?
Am I now human or am I still a soldier?
I can't be both!
What did the war do to me?
Look at me - who am I now?
How can I kill people and come home and be normal?
Is it any wonder I don't want to talk about it
You don't want to hear about what I saw!
You don't know!
You will never know!
You don't want to know how terrible war is!
Oh and don't give me a medal for what you made me do!
Where is the tolerance and respect
the regard for others
other peoples and their beliefs
I will not fight again for my country
not because I don't love my country
but because I hate war
Killing for peace makes no sense
