The Lion's Book: A Poetry Collection

The Home We've Come To Know

I recall a distant summertime

When all the land would congregate

And keep their spirits close to mine

To vanquish all I came to hate.

I swear when I peered out my door

There was but blue and spacious skies

And off they went to help the war;

Red, white and blue sparkles gleamed in their eyes.

The target—plain for all to see

Was one they strived to strike with haste.

It seemed achievable to me,

And time was difficult to waste.

Those who remained were true at heart

They toiled day and night

And with their anthem never part

Until victory was in sight.

After a while, the summer passed

And autumn came to be;

And all at once their motives changed

So very suddenly.

The battles I remembered fondly

Left my people with the sun

And bitterness swept every man

And iciness touched everyone.

They raced with competition new

And all was made for but one hour

Where the winners were but few

In that age of ruthless power.

The politicians’ new frontier

Was later labeled as a war

But I could see which way they walked

And how they tread near the black shore.

Now I’ll move onto the winter:

One that’s lasted far too long.

It’s stuck to me just like a splinter

And I don’t know when it’ll end.

I watched my youngest volunteer

To march away to certain death,

And yet the ones who remained near

Would riot like a thunderstorm.

Atrocities were televised

And seeped into our warm abodes

But still the war people despised,

Went on without a thought.

They shouted and they wailed

And I think they understood

That the battles which were hailed

Were smoke and mirrors all around.

Still the winter blazes on,

But now, in fog my people stay.

They blindly seek security

In places where it’s never found.

Their targets are intangible

Yet they trudge on in the dark,

Wandering like senseless fools,

Not knowing what the future brings.

I’ve distanced myself from the masses

For they cannot see what is so clear.

I only hope that someday soon

Will come the time again

When bells toll for a righteous war

And home will be what it once was.

 A/N: Hi guys! My time here at Radford ends on Saturday :'( Booo-hoooo. I've written this poem for my War, Violence, Killing, and Terrorism class for my final project. I wrote it about how "Lady Liberty" has seen America change from a Patriotic, informed state (World War I & II) to shifting ideals (Cold War, Vietnam, "War on Terror". It starts off with a lot of rhyming to represent how much we were into the war effort during WWII but eventually the rhyme dies down along with the American people's involvement and education on the wars we've come to be involved in.