10. Effects

In response to Slaughterhouse Five
Poem
(Kurt Vonnegut's perspective; Effects of War)

Effects

Twenty years it took to write a short story
About war and the damage
And here we are again in another war

When will it stop
The destruction, the death, the death by the destruction
The numb feeling because of what I endured, what many endured

War is not what it seems
It is not a joy to fight for your county
It is hard and damaging and cruel and demoralizing

Books and movies making it seem glamorous
Well
There is no glamor in killing people doing the same thing for their country

Fighting for what is right is not right to them
And them fighting for what is right is not right to you
Where does this leave us?

Dead.
Numb.
Cold.

No beginning
No middle
No end

No suspense
No morals
No cause or effect

Just time going by
With no feeling or remorse
Nothing at all