Peace

I wrote this poem a few months ago, for Remembrance Day.

In peace we live and thrive
All around everything seems so alive
But how many lives were lost and sacrifices made
Among those we now commemorate?

Let's take a minute to remember years in war
Imagine gunfire causing suffering and awe
Soldiers in squalid trenches entrenched
All to placate a beast that cannot be quenched

Can you hear it, the thud of a soldier falling
Vision going blank with the sight of the stormy sky over him
He gives in to his wounds, the pain etched upon his brow fading
The light leaves his eyes as another soldier passes him
Shrieking from a shot to the shoulder,
How many times must they have asked
"When will this be over?"

The peace we enjoy is the result of much woe
Countless loved ones left lamenting,
Lost and listless in their lifelong pain
But a century on and we're holding strong
Let's show how durable we have become
How the bonds we now hold provide somewhere to belong