At the Cenotaph - S Sassoon
I saw the Prince of Darkness, with his Staff,
Standing bare-headed by the Cenotaph:
Unostentatious and respectful, there
He stood, and offered up the following prayer.
“Make them forget, O Lord, what this Memorial
Means; their discredited ideas revive;
Breed new belief that War is purgatorial
Proof of the pride and power of being alive;
Men’s biologic urge to readjust
The Map of Europe, Lord of Hosts, increase;
Lift up their hearts in large destructive lust;
And crown their heads with blind vindictive Peace.”
The Prince of Darkness to the Cenotaph
Bowed. As he walked away I heard him laugh.
I can see why the Prince of Darkness is happy, for someone who feeds from chaos will grin at our silliness as a civilization. I pray for a peaceful world and then look into my fellow men ambitious eyes and tell myself 'what am I thinking?'
ReplyDeleteYet, I truly hope one day the Prince of Darkness will stand at the same place, his blood boiling at the sight of peace.
Dreams are free, aren't they?
Nice, heartfelt, poem--thanks for sharing.