Tower and Town, February 2017

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Monsters Of Men

From up high we watched aghast as the night
Turned ablaze and war summoned a new dawn,
Embers in the breeze sparked our fright
As beyond our reach a new country was drawn.

Cloaked in shadows the invaders crept through
The sleeping streets of home,
And with weapons sharp and inhuman they drew
Human blood and splintered bone.

Powerless we watch our mistakes from above
Commit their sins over and again,
And as silent screams fill the air with lost love
We know we have made monsters, not men.

As embers cool to a crumbling dust
The ghosts of innocents stand tall,
Knowing that also among ashes and rust
Their enemies too shall fall.

Lauren Bird (St John's)