THE WAR BEGINS
A disagreement turns into an argument.
An argument spills into a conflict.
A connflict pours into a skirmish.
A skirmish leads to a battle.
A battle explodes into a war...
A war that brings lifetimes of tears.
Lifetimes that stretch onward for thousands of years.
As millions of soldiers died to make a better day.
I fought for peace in a different way.
But why fight anyway?
War has no winner, but causes everyone to lose.
It offers empty promises, which we pay for in pride and in blood.
But either way... we must make a choice.
I sang of reason and of hope but no one dared to hear my voice...

VOICE OF REASON
"This war began because of harsh words, so maybe kind words can end it.
I love this country as much as any of you, but there must be another way to defend it.
We must preserve this place so that future generations can enjoy it.
All the killing will only destroy it.
Please my brothers, make the fighting cease.
Surely there's another path to peace."
My words only bring laughter.
Why? Isn't peace what we're all after.
These men would rather die than give diplomacy a try.
Where does all their spilled blood go?
That is something the world will never know...

FATHER
In the evening, I lay awake in bed.
A plethora of emotions run through my heart and head.
I think of my father fighting overseas.
I don't agree with his logic, but he fights for what he believes.
I sat there, remembering his last words to me...
"I know you're upset, but I believe this is right.
I won't let them take everything I've worked for, not without a fight.
I promise son, everything will be okay.
I'm actually quite glad you've decided to stay.
If there are two paths to peace... I know you'll find another way."
I doze as his promising words echo through my mind.
"Father, peace is what I am destined to find."
I wake as hear knocking at my door.
I open it to see a tall man I've never seen before.
his expression was clouded as his piercing gaze bore into my eyes, he said
"I regret to inform you that your father is dead.
His death was painless... a bullet to the head"
That was all he had to say.
I was speechless.
He apologized and slowly walked away.

THE ONE AND ONLY PATH
Emotions overflow and create a smoldering spark.
His life was lost because my preaching to the soldiers hadn't made its mark.
The war had taken everything from me.
There was only one path to choose.
"I will join the military and walk in my father's shoes.
My words had done nothing, they couldn't save his life.
Nothing really matters now.
I have nothing left to lose..."

MY VENDETTA
Through immense pain and intense training I slowly became the soldier I needed to be.
A desire for vengeance is what truly inspired me.
I learn the name of my father's killer and where he could be found.
"An eye for an eye"
Those are words to which I am bound.
The next day the sun hid behind blackened clouds.
Darkness covered us and refused to lift it's shrouds.
We marched onward, each man lost in memory.
I see the enemy, I know what I must do.
I'm to kill the man and endure the battle that ensues.

LOST CRIES
The deed is done. The man is dead.
I thought I'd feel better, but I feel worse instead.
I look around the battlefield to see a fallen soldier drowning in a pool of scarlet.
He looks at me and says:
"Tell my wife and daughters that I love them... and that I'll always be watching from up above them..."
His voice fades away as he enters an eternal rest.
I whisper"I know nothing of your family, but I'll do my best."
There were dying warriors from both sides sceaming sacred promises that their loved ones would never hear.
I only prayed that the words would somehow reach those they held dear.

PEACE
Suddenly, I was struck down and left on the ground where I fell.
I was in too much pain to scream or yell.
I laid there as my blood mixed with the sand.
It was then that I began to understand...
War is a cycle that can never be broken, it goes on and on.
Someone kills someone...
Then they are killed for being a killer...
Then their killer is killed by another...
Kill... Kill... Kill... until everyone is gone.
It is a dreadful night that bears no dawn.
My heart rate is falling...
I hear my father calling...
My path is nearing its end, my blood is spilling fast.
I close my eyes...
"I have found peace... peace at last."