Love Poem: Memoirs of War
Elizabeth Edemode Avatar
Written by: Elizabeth Edemode

Memoirs of War

By the river corner I sat and wept
Memories of the war flooding my mind
Imagines of rotting bodies everywhere
The smell of dying children pungent still
Starvation and molestation rampant
How did things degenerate so quickly?

At all turns reality hits me quick
In the gut, so full of the pain I weep
I spy times past when laughter was rampant
Stories about my childhood come to mind
Stories that my wife tells the children still
Of blue skies and green pastures everywhere

In these stories laughter was everywhere
The young ran around full of life, very quick
Young maidens abound then, gentle and still
Men in love at their feet threatening to weep
Gestures of love lived in the young man’s mind
And the giggles of maidens were rampant

Alas now, war cries have become rampant
Snuffing out the lives of men everywhere
Empathy has been vanquished from our mind
As the years pass by children grow quickly
Awakening into the horror, weeping
They seek revenge as bloodlust grows strong still

At last the war is over, all is still
Sadly not laughter but cries are rampant
Mothers, children, fathers, everyone weeps
The smell of decay pungent everywhere 
Spreading diseases and plagues, quickening
The fears and apprehension in our minds

Daily horrible sights assault the mind
And all through the nights we have nightmares still
We awake with a start, screams echo quickly
And all around insomnia is rampant
Bloodshot eyes, frail faces move everywhere
And everyone knows that all night they wept

Quickly I run, tears flowing rampant still
Everywhere I go, lost friends haunt my mind
By the river corner I sat and wept