The cost of War



We may justify war, citing defence and security;
We may condemn it, invoking peace and humanity.
We may blame it on religion, politics of region, or the gaping historical scars.
We may loathe hate-breeders, overambitious leaders, or their ravenous thirst for power.

But the ones who know it’s impact the most,
are the ones who pay an exorbitant cost.
Let’s go and ask a soldier’s mother, his kids and wife,
who have been stranded in war for the rest of their lives.

Ask the young woman carrying her newborn (or unborn) child, walking miles;
or kids who had to leave their toys and books, at the mercy of missiles.
The cost of war isn’t measured in dollars spent or trade affected,
it’s measured in terms of families shattered and lives impacted.

There’s no winner that emerges from war.
The only things that do emerge, are
the cries of bereaved, the vacuum in their families;
the pain of refuge, and the shameful defeat of humanity.

We may justify war or condemn it as we may,
But the ones who know it’s cost, are the ones who have to pay.

About this poem

Ever since the mankind started keeping a log of its history, the only event that has been consistent throughout that phase is ‘War’. We comfortably keep debating for (sometimes) or against (mostly) It, thinking that we all know the genesis and implications of war. But who would know the implications and cost of War than the ones who actually pay the cost of it. This poem is an honest attempt to explore that aspect of war.

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted by RhymingVibes on July 29, 2022

Modified on April 07, 2023

56 sec read
123

Quick analysis:

Scheme AAXB XXXX CCDD XBXA EE
Closest metre Iambic heptameter
Characters 1,036
Words 188
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 2

Prashant Bhatt

Dr. Prashant Bhatt is a Physician by Profession, and a Poet by Passion. He writes poems and songs in English, Hindi and Punjabi. Practising Internal Medicine in India, gave him an opportunity to experience and witness myriad of human emotions related to life. That has been inspiring him to write on life, with humanity and social equality being his favourite food for thought. He maintains blog of his poems at www.rhymingvibes.com more…

All Prashant Bhatt poems | Prashant Bhatt Books

0 fans

Discuss the poem The cost of War with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "The cost of War" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 31 Oct. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/133829/the-cost-of-war>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    October 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    0
    days
    4
    hours
    8
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who wrote the poem "Dreams"?
    A Gerard Manley Hopkins
    B Langston Hughes
    C Thomas Hardy
    D John Donne