Give Peace a Chance

Poem about the futility of war

20 lines

Was there ever a time peace was given a chance?
Not in my lifetime—perhaps not yours.
It starts, it seems, with barely a glance
At another man’s land—before it ends in wars.


What’s yours is mine, it’s only fair
But what’s mine is also mine;
Best not to resist, I dare
Unless you declare you think it’s thine!


Why do men covet what belongs to another?
Now politicians have their say—
In endless meetings, cold and careless,
While children starve and futures fade away.


They trade in lives behind closed doors,
Reshaping maps with little thought.
They play their childhood games of wars,
As empty bowls return with naught.


What can we do, helpless, yet forced to look on?
The tears, the gnawing hunger and the death
Till nothing’s left, when all is gone,
Until the innocents of Gaza take their last breath.