The Gap
Don’t shoot!
Stop the violence,
Stop the killing.
Don’t waste your time with gods,
Or clerics on the greasy pole,
Or warped ideology
Which tells you what to think,
Or the cult of the madmen,
The travelling circus,
The usual suspects,
The old men in suits,
The gap –
Between the theory and the practice.
Be yourself;
Lay down your arms,
Reach out your hand,
Love your neighbour.
Make peace.
Stephen Gospage
Wed 6th Mar 2024 07:51
Thank you everyone (Graham, Leon, Manish, John C and Uilleam) for your support and your generous comments. I suppose there is an element of idealism and wishful thinking in this poem. I wrote it because, deep down, I believe that there has to be another way, that war cannot be the only avenue for expressing frustrations. I understand that in the 'real world' (wherever that is), governments have to take steps to defend their citizens, but the current talk of a 'war economy' in Europe is troubling and also deeply wasteful at a time of climate crisis etc.
Thank you all once again.
And my thanks to Tom, Stephen A, K Lynn, Holden, Steve, Tim and David for your support.