One must pause but a second
Before the red curtain rises
My evocative story tells
Of innocent men women and children
Who perished screaming in bullets hail?

The perpetrators were sycophants who ravaged the earth
Slaughtering with cunning and stealth
Eliminating any who offered even the smallest resistance
For black liquid and gleaming metals

Openly touted
Their agenda was not hidden
None with valor impede their path
Fat and satisfied
The cowards dropped their dull heads
Rather than face the barbarians wrath

So continued was their brutish destruction
Though guilt their small conscience assail
Alas I disagree with Tolkien
The Courage of men has failed


Acknowledgement of “The Courage of men.”
The Return of the King…… by J.R.R. Tolkien
All Rights Reserved @ Tammy M. Darby. February 8, 2019.