|
The
current tragedy in
Iraq
is a symptom of the disease which has plagued our world for
thousands of years. The only current remedy is support for the
United Nations, a flawed institution with great potential.
As
a young child and refugee, my mother and I watched the
firebombing of
Dresden
, an ancient German city with absolutely no military value, no
defense industries or installations, not a single antiaircraft
weapon. We had been ordered out of
Dresden
, because the city was filled to overflowing with other
refugees.
As
an American advisory team leader in
Vietnam
, even I was responsible for some ‘collateral damage.’ There
were civilians, including women and children, near the enemy
mortar crews which were hitting Trung Lap, threatening the men
under my command, and the women and children of the Vietnamese
officers in our base.
War
has always been the problem, it is never the solution. I
dedicate this poem to the unrealized potential of the United
Nations:
The
War Around Us
About
war much has been written,
more must yet be said by those
who saw them die,
so that the dead may rest,
and sight be gained
to see war for what it was and is:
War
is not fighting,
though fighting’s what we see,
nor is it death, for death is but its end.
It is the rancor of disunited hearts,
The death of love,
the end of hope.
The
war around us echoes in our hearts
and grants it life.
Once, mortals dared to tame this ancient beast,
And yet it thrives.
Each age must fight this force again,
or pay its price.
Wolfgang
P. May
|
