Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, AFTER WAR, by JOHN KINGSTON FINERAN


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

AFTER WAR, by                    
First Line: Victors are bored, and victims bitterly
Last Line: The only undefeated are the dead.
Subject(s): War


Victors are bored, and victims bitterly
Bewail the chances that have brought defeat,
And break their swords, and on a barren tree
Hang up their harps, and hate the bread they eat,
The conquerors they serve, the impotence
Of their weak arms against the brutal might
Of stronger men, and most, the common sense
That points a calm acceptance of their plight.

When wars are over and the struggles cease,
The ugly rage and the dull weariness
Are to the once embattled awful peace.
Victor and vanquished, in their hearts confess
That when the bitter truth at last is said,
The only undefeated are the dead.





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