It raged around me and I refused to see the bullets race,

I declined the black invitation edged in guilt to see you suffer

and I purposely lost the war

so I could win the fight,

that I could see your enemy square in the eyes

and outline their own blood that they tasted

with bitterness, the sadness they had caused you.

 

I lost the war with rational intention…

 

I lost the war and abandoned territory, but by doing so

I won the fight and gained self-respect…

 

It was a respect that you refused to seize

as the ground you parked your demands onto

withered and took on an old beige appearance

before dying, flower by flower, silk of grass by

ploughed down oak…it burned and ash

smothered our mouths and our teeth

looked grim as we smiled at the destruction.

 

I lost the war…

and I’m pleased,

for I never took up arms

against you.

 

Ian D. Hall 2015