Love this! Will be back for a proper comment (:

It's a bit ridiculous to think how bureaucratic governments have come to be, not only that, but how out of touch they are with the common people. Governments are rarely acting in the interest of the public, but rather acting in their own self-interests, or in the interests of lobbyists & corporations (the u.s is notorious for this, but that's a bit of a digression),

"ey, on chairs;
say the road seems narrow.

Them, on the field;
feel how sore and hollow."

^ This part is a prime example of how out of touch governments are, the officials think or try to do one thing, which ends up hurting the common people in one way or another.

The second half of the poem shifted into what I'm assuming is about the treatment and how soldiers turn out after war; they return back dead or a different person and that's terrifying, to think that the price of 'peace' comes at the cost of a soldier's life or soul. And they may have been sent to war or missions that weren't even necessary (in the sense that it never placed the country in direct danger), and it's sad to think that a group of officials who probably haven't served in the military essentially get to decide if they should put the lives of their soldiers at stake.

It's even worse to think about the lack of care available for veterans whether it's physical health care, or mental health care, it's a major issue that's rarely spoken about in the west, and it's a tragedy. If I recall correctly, suicide is one of the major reasons behind the deaths of soldiers, and it's an absolute shame that it's going by unnoticed by the public & the government.

Sorry if I rambled a bit, but like I said, I absolutely love this!

Nana,

This really stings, as it portrays our darkest side. All nations, I feel, are guilty of neglecting the needs of veterans and giving them what they need to become whole again both mentally and physically after they have been inside the hell called war. Our country was, I know America was, and no doubt the countries that are in the midst of war in this era will do much the same.

When push comes to shove you always find that those in power consider the ordinary civilians as people of another level than themselves and pay little attention to the needs of those, whose lives they destroyed with their ivory tower politics!

Well done,

Love and kiss, Ingrid

Excellent write, Rania and I guess Mark has pretty much covered it! I love the way you have laid this one out, by the way. Well done and all the very best,
Ben