#military poems on Hello Poetry

Jack Groundhog Oct 13

There is no pity in Berlin,
a place of prickly wounded pride.

A city of angels
who fell like scars of lightning
from gunmetal grey skies.

I watch old silvered rolls of film
and see flying columns of seraphim
as they march on by
row upon row
eyes ablaze
flaming swords drawn
in a parody of paradise.
They descended into hell
and are seated
at the left hand of the Kaiser:
Gott mit uns.

This sullen scene of no regret
stains the present with the dead and past:
It fits the flinty nature
of the blunt Berliner
under the ashen skies of winter.

I trudge across a gravel path
in the bowels of Berlin,
hear the grinding crunch
of brittle bones below,
and gird myself for the grim winter ahead.

Inspired by a visit to the Spandau Citadel in Berlin, an old star fort used by the Prussian military right up to World War I.

#military #war #religion #fate #history #conflict #hypocrisy

Jack Groundhog Oct 8

St. Giles’, Edinburgh

In an aisle of a great stone church
by flickering light of candles perched
under finials and arches tinged with gold,
flags fly for blood shed on fields of old:
They wave with wistful dreams of war
and tell of great esprit de corps
in a house made holy for a prince of peace
whose dreams of love they speak of least

A description of my impressions visiting St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh. In particular the many military banners struck me.

#church #war #military #peace #irony #hypocrisy #scotland #edinburgh

Safana Sep 15

Justice for Abbas

Military and militia.
Nigeria and niger area
Predators and Prey

Instead of killings
Why not bring us a life

Abbas and his family deserve justice.

Abbas is nigerian military and he is only Muslim man in his entire family; in many Nigerian villages, people have no right to practise any religion other than what they inherit.

#abbas #nigeria #military #naval #army #air #justice #islam #christanity #interfaith

Kris Fireheart Jul 20

Howl at the Moon

Spent half my life immersed
In starlight...
Outside the windows
Of my room....

Was raised to think
Everything was alright...
But I found out the truth
Much too soon!

Oh, howl, howl,
Howl at the moon!

Oh, watch the midnight
Blue, and feel the
Lights surrounding you!
And never wonder if
You'll ever be afraid!

Oh, howl, howl,
Howl at the moon!

We find out our truths much too soon...

Oh, bring me a bottle ,
To bury my worries!
Oh, load me a pipe,

And I'll tell you a story.

A story, a story,
A terrible story,
My life for a story,
Of honor and glory.

Oh, howl, howl, howl,
At the moon!

Either drunk or
Hungover, or waking
Up Blue,

We'll fight till it's over,
Till battle is through;
Till we're beaten and Bloodied,

And covered in mud,

And we march home while
Weary, and spotted with
Blood.

Oh, howl, howl, howl,
At the moon!

A poem that I wrote for some friends of mine in Ukraine and Russia who don't want to fight, but are forced to.
They love the personification of the wolf, and so I made it my job to show people how they feel.

#poetry #military #army #wolf #war #fighting #suffering #depression #ukraine #russia

Mydriasis Aletheia Jul 19

Festina Lente

Bureaucratic. Timocratic.
Stratocracy is not something
I was ever interested in. Is that
why I enlisted? Put these notions
to the test, challenge my philosophy,
And perhaps even change my worldview
which I had assumed was in opposition to this.
The institution, a cult of the state before which
I am canine.
The use of drill
to temper a group
in dynamism, to meld the pack
in subordination, to suppress reactions
and perhaps even tame critical thinking.
We are dogs of the state
and I should not be able to question so well.
My philosophical training may prove
troublesome.

It is oft' discipline without clear intention,
Values that lack coherent articulation,
The inheritance of a moral order
which is antiquated at best
or at worst entirely ill-suited
to the modern world.

If this is the soil from which
the crop of leaders are chosen
it's no surprise what's to follow.

What truly strikes me is the humor,
Which sometimes is incomprehensibly forced,
but as they say: hurry up and wait.

Make Haste, But Slowly.

#military

Traveler May 20

Thank You For Your Soul

Proud to serve
such empty words
The war machine
is quite absurd
No glory of service
as innocents dies
Sign over your soul
on dotted lines.
Pledge allegiance
close your mind
Thank you for your service
But we must warn you..
Don’t you dare step out of line.

Traveler 🧳 Tim

#traveler #navy #military

neth jones May 16

misfiring — signals — is — all

.

i wake before the others
                                          betraying the family bed
conduct domestic procedure
         (the sun has yet to rise and punish)
the rooms are illuminated       with the city dim
   projected from streetlight in
a dossing grain of orange
                  wiltered by the sheets
we use to cower our windows

in this near light i go to spread a morning meal
a tray of fruit, yogurt and breakfast biscuits
i bring it too our low living room table
but Abrupt !
       there is a form   occupying the table

i scout for a spot to place my wares
put the tray / direct contact / the floor
                         and make a closer examination
on the table
it is a soldier boy       simple      life spent out

this warrants artificial light
i pull the cord on the corner lamp
   in a glimpse of eyes the bulb pops dead
               i know i won't meet result this way
its a brain pattern going on  i determine
   and remove shrouding from a street view
orange wash lends  to the olive uniform
both hands hitched
to his webbing   in the middle of his chest
helmet discomforts  his head turned to a side
eyes yelling a relaxed nothing
no surprise to his ****** features
boots that haven't even made mud yet
this is clean    but   for the blood reduction
a syrup for his presentation
no fooling  and there is.. the gun

the child in me and the child in him want it
he makes seventeen at most
and it is now i feel
when i see the device

war oversees
makes international the weather

#war #news #military #sanity #hallucination #soldier #breakfast #family #morning #gun

neth jones Mar 13

——lifeline——

come back alive
  no shade
     no dark sleek  over your own boxed remains
report in     to your family
we'll remove the war from your shoulder
hook up the soldier costume on our hallway peg
return the memory of life to you
we hope we can offer this ..

      ..but we’ve heard tumorous stories
        that   to the war boy returned
                      life   no longer does stick

#short #war #ptsd #trauma #soldier #family #military #life

LadyM Jan 30

Fading

I wish, I could just fade, into nothingness.

Not to die, not to be aware of the end, but just to fade
and become merged with the rest of the universe.
My consciousness
part of the never-ending energy.
Then, I would not witness any more suffering,
or tragedy.

I would not be concerned with human ideas of war
and ideals,
for which countries and nations are torn,
for which the cycle of death renews.
It’s no news

that each, every so often
new powers rise and the old is forgotten.

I wish, I could just go far, far away.

Leave this Earth and all its destruction,
journey to a place with no caged birds, and caged people.
I don’t want to stay
amongst the ones who are caged inside their minds
thinking they own the world
and all beyond it,
when, in fact, the only thing they own is the production
of hate.

And evil deeds could write themselves one by one
onto their skin, showing the fate
of countless souls, like a tattoo
never to fade.

If only they would.
Maybe then, young citizens could
take some time to think about the rush
to honour the ‘duty to their country’.
Gun in hand, loyalty in the other,
all for honour.

Death is the greatest teacher, for in death we are all the same,
look it in the eyes, and your life will change.
If only it changed for the better
and not made the ground wetter
with blood of the ones honouring their leader,
when their leader does not honour them.

He lives on, while their lives
Are fading,
fading
away.

Written in response to the terrible things happening in the world.

#war #death #life #fading #humans #honour #destruction #hate #cycle #military