The Poetry of World War IV - 4

The Poetry of World War IV - 4
Christopher Bogart

“And, as the waters receded…”1

On the plains above the shore,
Green grass grows,
Flowering forth in waves,
In chase of a fleeting sun.
The gleam of swords and plowshares
Sticking firmly in the porous soil
Are the metal remains,
Obsolete weapons of now warriors
Preparing for the war.
Only the air contains the clash.
The sundial of the dawn and dusk
Become irrelevants.
The barricades of war are not defined.
They lie within the softness of humanity,
Their movement’s silent,
But not serene.
The Child
Listens to their silent sounds.
His eyes – they salt the sea
As they watch the play:
The drama of unnumbered acts.
The message lies a million miles away –
By light, by sound, and by night.