The white flag

How many people will die before war is stopped. Each days brother killing brother. Rich countries deciding who is right or wrong?

                                     The white flag


How many roads must a man walk down to understand.
Blood create more blood. Death demand more death.
Soldiers will fight and kill till there is no-one left.
Only memories left will be of a greedy people who killed and killed without concern

I sat near a river. I asked the Gods of the morning. Why do I live?
I remember my sweet wife and kids who need me. Once I held a 30-30.
Waiting for death. I decided more reasons to live than die.

I sat by graves of 20,000 men who die for freedom. The last great war.
WW2 was to open door to the utopia of peace. I wonder did we honor these brave men
by leading the world to murder and chaos.

If you sell or give weapons to be used for murder. You are part of the murder.
If you screams separation and hate. You are the murderer of peace and calm.
USA spend more than a trillion dollars on war. There is no active war.
Twenty five cent of every dollar is for war from the taxes we paid.

I tell the people from the sixties. Rise up, rise up.
Your words are needed today. How many more will die for the cause of peace?

I don't believe war and peace can be spoken in the same sentence.
Who will weep for the homeless? Who will weep for the children in the old cities
that were destroyed by war? Who is weeping for the mother holding child with
no place to go? Who will feed the misplaced and the homeless.

I want to raise a white flag. I do not want my children, my grandchildren to follow
their father to war like I did.

Rise up the new generation. Better to fight and stand for peace than die somewhere
for people who do not want our help.

I saw and touched death often in Bosnia, Africa and the Middle East. I did learn. No winner
in war. Just useless murder of the poor people in the way of the war machine.

It is time for logic. USA need to fix the boarders. Keep the bad folks out. Bring all the Soldiers
home and fix our country. USA is in trouble. Old wise saying. "Fix your house before trying to
fix someone else."

This is one planet and one people. If we don't try to get along. What will we leave for the future generations?
I hope we don't leave only a people who accepted hate and violence as a norm.

                                      Coyote/John Castellenas

Author's Note

Just thoughts. Can't turn on the TV. Too much blood.

Reviews

[Emily]

Besides some grammatical errors, this poem is a thoughtful and critical eye to the world we live in. I agree, the US does need to clean up its own act before trying to clean up someone else's I think your perspective gives a much-needed dose of reality to the people who are still in the dark.

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you Emily. Old Grandpa told me often. "Before you fix another life. Ensure your life is in line first."

[K.]

Wow, chilling. That was great, glad to have it in my library now. The fact that you have seen these horrors and know what it is like make this poem so much more real and believable. Loved your first paragraph. Glad to have come across your work.

[Coyote Poetry]

Was a cartoon in the sixties. Where the armies put their guns down and war ended. The utopia dream got lost. We need to find part of it for the sake of kids like you. You need a fair chance. I hope your generation does better than my did. I worry for my kids and grand-kids. Thank you for reading and the comment.

[Mr Dunne Poetry]

I love the way that you convey your thoughts on to paper. This is such a well thought out, thought provoking piece. I am seriously impressed. Thank you for sharing this excellent poem, Coyote.

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you Mr. Dunne. I get tire of people telling me. War is a part of life. I tell them. War had changed. Nuclear weapons are very dangerous tools for nations led by madman.

[gabrielle]

Powerful nations would oftentimes wage war under the pretext of humanitarian consideration or of peace. Is it humanitarian consideration or is it greed? Well-expressed sentiment.

[Coyote Poetry]

It is oil and control. Rare occasions when a rich nation help a poor country without a goal or reason. Thank you reading and the comment.

[Brooke]

I especially like the line "I don't believe war and peace can be spoken in the same sentence." I completely agree with this poem and you gave a great insight on someone who has seen and learned what the affect was has on a country, great poem!

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you Brooke. It doesn't take a wise man to know. If we don't change our ways. Our world will be in deep trouble very soon.

[Mark]

Introspective thoughts of a nation. We need to be governed by wise leaders. Instead we have leaders who are power hungry. Those who are the most wise and fit to lead us, have no interest in doing so, for their wisdom takes them above the petty need for power. Very nicely expressed poem.

[Coyote Poetry]

I agree. Take wealth to become a leader in the USA. Cost millions to run for a House or Senate seat. We need to change the system of the voting or we are stuck in the same situations.

[Pryde Foltz]

This is one planet and one people. If we don't try to get along. What will we leave for the future generations?
I hope we don't leave only a people who accepted hate and violence as a norm.

Well-said … the world needs a paradigm shift.

[Coyote Poetry]

Yes the world does. Nuclear weapons are for sale. We don't change our ways. We are heading into a bad place with no return. I tell people. It will be a Mad Max world. When nuclear weapons one day kill off the last of human kindness. Thank you for reading and the comment.

[Delmar Cooper]

Seems more a political statement than a poem. Not that I have anything against politics and other blood sports like bull fighting and baby seal clubbing.

[Coyote Poetry]

It is about life. Dryden wrote of war and violence over 500 years ago. I saw dead old people and kids in Bosnia in a river. I took each body out and prayed for a better place than they knew. I saw a thousand bloated dead bodies in Africa who starved to death. I helped clean-up death valley. I put dead Iraq Soldiers in body bags and we froze them. Poetry is what you know and saw. I wish I could see utopia of peace. Writers have purpose and reason. Thank you for reading and the comment.

[Baby Ricochet]

Most people in the west can't fathom what happens to tour nervous system the first time your squad is pinned down by heavy fire. The neurons in your brain make dangerous connections that can't be unearned. It's the difference between running away screaming and getting organized to hold your ground in an incredibly stressful situation. The brain connections combat create have much to do with how war feeds on itself that civilians in the west don't understand. It's like you said bro. We'll fight until everyone's dead.

[Coyote Poetry]

I wish I was wrong. I tell people. War will touch the USA if we don't change. Thank you for reading and the comment.

[A. H. Pinley]

I totally respect your thoughts on the matter, but what I do know is, man will never know peace here on God's green earth. It would be asking for humanity to distant themselves from their humanity. In God's word we learn that there is a just judge, a savior or you can call him the diplomat and then there are your warriors, angels, Peter and other followers of Christ. My point is, life is messy and not so cut and dry. Wars will be waged and fought till the end of our time, just as it was waged and fought at the dawn of creation, except it was a war waged on our souls. God bless brother!

[Coyote Poetry]

I know. But war is coming nearer. I met a retire 30 year plus Marine Colonel. He had the same fear as I. He worked in Washington D.C for his last 10 years. I hope we gain common sense before it is too late. Thank you for reading and the comment.