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At the eleventh hour
on the eleventh day
of the eleventh month,
we will remember them.
Our ancestors
chose this time
and this date
to end
the Great War.
The timing
is not
by coincidence,
it was
by purpose.
It signified
an end,
and a beginning.
It signified
a hope
that we would all
remember
the tragedy
of that war.
It signified
a hope
that we would all
work together
to ensure
that it was
our only war.
How quickly
we forget,
how quickly
we do not learn
from the past,
how quickly
we repeat
the past?
A few short years
later,
we did it again,
a war
that engrossed
our world.
Have we learnt
anything
from these two wars?
In some ways
we have,
in some ways
we have not.
We have developed
horrendous weapons
of mass destruction
to deter war.
At the same time,
it led to
an arms race
of untold proportions.
The health
and prosperity
of many nations
was sacrificed
in the relentless pursuit
of weapons.
We have seen
other wars
engulfing
many nations.
We still see
many wars
in many backyards
of our world.
Still,
the question
remains,
have we learnt anything
from the Great War?
As I stand here
in silence,
remembering,
respecting,
honouring
the moment,
I wonder
about this question.
As I stand here
in silence,
I smell
the gunpowder
of the weapons used.
I feel
the pain
of the injured soldiers.
I hear
the cries
of help
go unheeded.
I hear
the thoughts
of so many
knowing
they will never ever
see
their loved ones again.
I taste
the poison
of the gases used
against
so many soldiers.
Humans
are capable
of so much good,
they are also capable
of so much horror.
For what is
an immaterial gain,
we go
to such lengths
to inflict pain
on others.
What I see,
what I feel,
what I experience,
is not in isolation,
it is Universal.
For the tragedy
of war
inflicts
such a enormous pain
on our world,
you would think
we would have learned.
Not so,
for it continues
up to this day.
When there is
a perception
of gain,
some humans
will do anything
to get it.
I pity them,
for they are
ultimately,
the biggest losers.
For their souls
will bear
the pain
and the suffering
of all
who they hurt.
A gain
at all cost,
is not
a gain,
it is
a loss.
Peace
will never rest
in their lives,
for they will forever
be fighting against
the oppressed,
the injured,
the aggrieved.
The Great War
was called so,
for it was there
to teach
all of us
a lesson.
The lesson
of
cooperation.
If we cooperate,
if we help
each other,
we will thrive.
If we continue
as we are,
fighting against
each other,
we will self-implode.
Never
in the history
of our Universe,
has one race
been so determined
to self-destruction.
Yet,
the irony
of all of this,
is that,
we have
a choice.
We can continue
to self-destruct,
or we can choose
to change.
In changing
our attitude,
in changing
our approach,
in changing
our choices,
we can
begin anew.
We can learn
from the past,
we can honour
the sacrifices,
we can make
these sacrifices
meaningful.
For,
in essence,
as we continue
on our current path,
we are ignoring
our past.
We are saying,
we are above it,
we are better than them,
we know better.
The question
is
do we?
I hope,
I pray,
that we see
the signals,
we see
the danger.
That we make
a change
for the future.
We make
a change
that empowers
everyone.
As one
of the silent majority,
I know
we can do it.
Are you ready
to make
a change,
I am.
Let us
do so
together.
The future
of our world
is in our hands.
What are
you doing,
today?
© Gary Dodd 2007
Sample Poems
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