Fleeting Peace

The soldiers hear the roar of rattling guns,
But they cannot avoid the raging war.
The war has given Death a throng of sons;
He brings them to the grave and shuts the door.

The stalwart men attempt to carry on
but meet with horrid shelling all around.
Then Death begins to walk from night to dawn
To gather all the trophies from the ground.

Few men of peace decry this bloody scene,
Intent on ending wars they all abhor.
But as they try to stop the war machine,
Voracious Death returns for even more.

From dawn to dusk, the sun observes the pain
Of earnest men who reach for peace in vain.