It’s not about
wanting something

because wanting is
seen as weakness
.
It’s about the act
of taking something

away from another
that is important.

It is the act of
exerting power

that’s valued.
Such is war.

Anyone can want,
but it is the ability

to leave a place
desecrated,

its people broken,
that is valued.

This is how wars
begin and end.

The desire
to take away

the heart and soul
of a nation

is more valued
than the land itself.

The land is only where
the bodies are buried.

 

Janet Cormier is a painter, writes prose and poetry, and performs comedy. Janet prefers different and original over pretty. She loves collecting stuff, but cleaning not so much. Janet also talks to strangers. A lot. Her column appears weekly on Oddball Magazine.