I will not attribute honor
To easy principles and claims
That war is just a plaything
Of the murderous insane
For the Jews of Amsterdam
For the outcasts and the lame
The hard won liberation
For honor lays good claim
Let’s not attribute honour
Or repudiate the same
Without examination
Of the motives in the frame
Behind each complex battle
To bring calm or to inflame
Ten thousand tiny choices
One for honor, one for shame.
Jul 1, 2010
Jul 1, 2010 at 3:14 PM UTC
I will not attribute honor
To easy principles and claims
That war is just a plaything
Of the murderous insane
For the Jews of Amsterdam
For the outcasts and the lame
The hard won liberation
For honor lays good claim
Let’s not attribute honour
Or repudiate the same
Without examination
Of the motives in the frame
Behind each complex battle
To bring calm or to inflame
Ten thousand tiny choices
One for honor, one for shame.
A response to War Honor by Benjamin Adelaar
http://hellopoetry.com/poem/war-honor/