I remember my brother,

Smiling and laughing,

So full of life.



I remember my father,

Hearty and cheery,

His eyes twinkiling like the stars.



And I remember them as they died,

Bullets tearing through their flesh,

Their blood falling, as red a poppies.



I stared into their eyes.

The eyes once full of life,

Now lifeless, blank and staring.



Tears cascaded down my cheeks,

As if my eyes were storm clouds,

And I wept for hours.



I thought of our uncaring leaders,

Sending millions to their deaths,

Not caring how many lives they destroyed.



They brought grief, suffering and sorrow,

And for what?

Just to gain dominance over a human being.



Lives snuffed out as easily as a candle flame,

Fathers burying their sons,

Families torn apart like leaves scattered in the wind.



I return to my family,

Now all I had left was my mother,

She weeps for weeks after she hears the news I bear.



Is there hope? 

Is there light at the end of the tunnel?

Can we escape the petty struggles of men?



Or will we reach the light at the end of the tunnel,

The light of hope,

Only to be thrust back into the darkness of war.