“Cowards are cruel, but the brave
love mercy and delight to save.” - John Gay
“Mercy” is this week’s theme challenge for participants of Poets United. We seem to be losing this quality of mercy as our civilisation progresses. Everything can be bought and sold, including people, consciences and allegiances. Mercenaries have always existed, but nowadays they form a readily available fighting force to be had by the highest bidder.
Here is my entry:
Death of a Soldier
Senseless
Killing of innocents without regard
Blind to unending pain:
Mercenary without a heart.
Killing of innocents without regard
Immune to pleas of mercy.
Mercenary without a heart -
His gun spits out death, victims’ bodies lie senseless.
Immune to pleas of mercy
Mercenary hardened to death
His gun spits out death, victims’ bodies lie senseless.
Lying there, still.
Mercenary hardened to death
Blind to unending pain
Lying there, still,
Senseless…
“Mercy” is this week’s theme challenge for participants of Poets United. We seem to be losing this quality of mercy as our civilisation progresses. Everything can be bought and sold, including people, consciences and allegiances. Mercenaries have always existed, but nowadays they form a readily available fighting force to be had by the highest bidder.
Here is my entry:
Death of a Soldier
Senseless
Killing of innocents without regard
Blind to unending pain:
Mercenary without a heart.
Killing of innocents without regard
Immune to pleas of mercy.
Mercenary without a heart -
His gun spits out death, victims’ bodies lie senseless.
Immune to pleas of mercy
Mercenary hardened to death
His gun spits out death, victims’ bodies lie senseless.
Lying there, still.
Mercenary hardened to death
Blind to unending pain
Lying there, still,
Senseless…
Powerful write!
ReplyDeleteit seems that the human race has placed the value of life as a commodity. all nations are no longer interested in embracing culture, beliefs, mores, human morals and ethics but have all become mercenaries toward the pursuit of selfishness and greed toward the gratification of the almighty dollar.
ReplyDeletegood write
Ouch Each verse breaks my heart. Why does mercy sound so much like mercenary? Perhaps the job was once honorable?
ReplyDeleteAll so completely senseless. The repetition really drives this point home. Well said.
ReplyDeleteIt is senseless--but killing always is
ReplyDeleteNobody who truly believes in God could happily take another's life.
ReplyDeleteI suppose to commit such atrocities you need to be hardened to pain - and yet at some level i still hope that all humans have a capacity to feel for others...maybe misplaced but we have to hope perhaps...a relevant and insightful poem
ReplyDeleteIt's so hard to understand how a person can be hardened to death. How does a heart die? They seem heartless.
ReplyDeleteYes, so many hardened mercenaries, not heeding anyone's calls for mercies. The whole situation in the world right now saddens me. So many guns spitting out death, so many lives lost. And, yes, senseless.
ReplyDeleteMercenaries are not just habitues of the army . There are many ways of killing people. Everyone can be bought except for the few lucky ones who value other qualities other than money.They are as rare as the black pearl found in the oyster. I'm still seaching:)
ReplyDelete