Dulce et Decorum Est.
Not long ago… each Jack and Jill
was marched towards the abattoir
by cunning Priests and Politicians…
Zombie Commanders with their medal thing…
puffed up and ignorant
The congregation sang…
‘Dulce et Decorum Est
Pro Patria Mori’
Oh Horace…sweet it is to die
Woman, man and child alike.
There’ll be no dog to bring
the bone back to the yard…
Bark at the moon.
The violin lies with broken strings….
and who will patch it up again?
The man has lost his skills…
Our wits are dimming
like the setting sun,
and forests burn….
But lo…
I see the small child smile.
She does not know of beggars
on the streets with frost cracked cheeks.
She’s happy in her micro world.
Her future an uncertain thing.
Kristine Byrne. 8am 6th Aug. 2018
Illustration ny Jess Howard for Deviant Art.