My heart reaches out,
invisibly holding
the innocents of war
A man-made thing
driven by anger,
greed and darkness
My lips pray
for the frightened ones
hiding as alarms blare
Safety never sure,
hiding in fear,
hoping for one more day
My soul cries
aching for them all,
my brothers and sisters
They have suffered,
lost too much
and struggled too long
We are all children
of the earth
and we must cry out
It is only when all
unite and stand
for peace throughout
It is only when
we can demand
the right of freedom
So odd,
to win freedom
one must rise and fight
Fight for peace
and safety
and security for all
But, it must be a war
without weapons
if there is to be peace
For anger begets anger
and hate feeds rage
leaving only darkness behind
War wounds all,
leaving unseen scars
and shattered dreams
There is no benefit,
no one wins,
souls are lost along the way
For change to occur
there must be
a new beginning
One based in love
and freedom for all
not just some
Peace can only exist
when there is an end
to all the fighting
So, let us stand united
and drive change
demanding peace
Not just for the few,
who are many,
but for all in this world
Because for many
life only begins,
when there is an end to war.
© Leslie C Dobson
If you liked this poem, you can find additional ones on the poetry page of my website.