Honor or Madness

© Mama Zen Photography

  
Was it honor or madness
that had men going to war?

Armor donned, sword raised,
flesh sliced to drown the grass with blood.

Carnage written in romantic prose,
fair maidens swooned under bloody crowns.

The chessboard of kingdoms
were played with bitter hands.

Power fed on corpses of the dead.
Victory assessed by number of the slain.

Did men dress their madness in honor
to justify the lies burnished upon their chests?


©Susie Clevenger 2012
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Comments

Kerry O'Connor said…
This is an excellent interpretation of the photo. I thought the third stanza made a very strong point about the misconceptions of what war is really all about.
April 30, 2012 at 3:43 PM
Margaret said…
Wow! I won't highlight the entire poem... I love the whole thing! Mama Zen will be thrilled, I know I am.
April 30, 2012 at 4:06 PM
Mary said…
Ah, Susie, it all really is a chess board, isn't it? Move, counter-move; and in the end no one really wins! A strong write here!
April 30, 2012 at 4:38 PM
Laura said…
"Did men dress their madness in honor
to justify the lies burnished upon their chests?" the eternal question and answer all in one.
April 30, 2012 at 4:43 PM
Mary Ann Potter said…
Memorable imagery!!! I'm impressed with the way you reacted so viscerally to the photo prompt. (Madness or honor? I figure that what starts out as honor ends up as madness...)
April 30, 2012 at 5:13 PM
Scarlet said…
You raised a very good question..this is thought provoking poem. Well done Susie ~
April 30, 2012 at 7:25 PM
Laurie Kolp said…
Very thought-provoking... I love the reference to chess, Susie.
April 30, 2012 at 9:00 PM
Sherry Blue Sky said…
"....fair maidens swooned under bloody crowns".......I enjoyed this walk back in time........
April 30, 2012 at 11:17 PM
Semaphore said…
I fear the answer is - both. You may begin with honor, but the horror and enthrall ent of war is such that, to continue on, or to return, takes madness. An incisive poem.
May 1, 2012 at 5:44 AM
Herotomost said…
Its buffoonery most of the time I think....makes me sick to my stomach. I do know that there are times when certain things may be necessary of the greater good of man kind....but that seems rarely to be the case. those cases seem to slip off the radar pretty quickly when there is no prize to be had. Great writing Susie.
May 1, 2012 at 8:16 PM
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