War

I don’t know much about war,

Not the innocent game played by children with paint and finger guns,

But the wars of nations.

I don’t know the chaos of a battlefield,

or the vastness of a graveyard filled with flags.

I don’t know what filling a sink with blood from your hands that isn’t yours looks like.

I don’t know what holding a dying friends hand feels like.

I don’t know what staring at a tangled mass of bomb wires does to your heart beat.

I don’t know what it’s like to stare at a telephone while twirling a wedding band praying its his voice that calls.

I don’t know what it’s like to say I love you to a letter and seal an envelope with a kiss.

I don’t know what it’s like to flinch at fireworks.

I don’t know what its like to be afraid of home.

I don’t know much about war.