letters to aught

to the warmonger

receiver's address: leading yet another batallion from the headquarters.

sender's address: horizon's bay.

subject: how nice it would be if we could all be one, crossing infinity while sitting at horizon's bay.

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dear warmonger,

warmongers took my uncle,
to fight in world war ii
they never returned him back,
those warmongers, people like you.

i was a little girl then,
but i sensed something wrong.
so in my ignored, little voice,
i sung a pleading little song.

"don't take him sir,
don't take anybody at all!!
what if they never return?
the opposition is sufficiently strong." i said to you, a hefty looking general.

"haha kid! we'll quell the noise! we'll behead them, feed them off to the mermaids in atlantis. or if you'd want, you can keep the skulls to play volleyball. your uncle's a hero, you'll be remembered as the hero's niece, the girl who had so much enemy's blood in stock, she gave it to her dogs to drink."

i flinched. "this...war...is it justified? and what's your role and my uncle's role in here?"

"war is nature, my girl. man is power hungry, and he must fight like all other animals, to defend his territory. as for your uncle, his role is to fight at the forefront. coming to me, my role is to lead the batallion from the headquarters and find heroes like him."

"wouldn't it be better if you went too, to have more men to fight?"

"somebody has to stay behind to convince the people of our victory, to tell them how gloriously we won. to tell them, how the arena was covered in enemy's blood and the blood of our brave soldiers, who surrendered their lives to the nation. to be able to quote enough examples that they don't hesitate to prove themselves useful to the country when she needs them."

and without last glance, you, an apathetic warmonger, whom i would only later realise to be a blemishing disgrace in the name of a "general", left.

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to every one of you who's ever lost a war, you've brought this upon yourself. and i'll let you in on a little secret-
in war, nobody ever wins.

the stigma attached with it that you glorify, tainted my uncle's and million other's purity. you said animals defend their territory as a law of nature, please enlighten me on the similarities. what animals fight continually for years? what animals refrain from fighting, send their brothers to the battlefield, just so they can sit to tell brave stories of war to their children? the answer i'll say before you come up with another profitless excuse - the answer is none.

you've managed to veil the truth for so long,
in the name of nature, if i may add.
the wasted fate of my uncle among others,
is enough indictment of this fact.

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in post war europe, now i lay,
looking at the horizon screening infinity,
how peaceful it looks, i cannot describe,
so i just gaze pensively.

and one thing the horizon taught me,
which you never would, hurray,
that when sky and sea, two opposites unite,
even infinity shies away.

how nice it would be if we could all be one,
crossing infinity while sitting at horizon's bay,
if you really wanted to learn from nature, sir,
tell me why, why can't we co-exist this way?

yours only at the horizon,
the "hero's" niece

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