a day for mothers

i was thankful sunday
that our son
wasn't grown up
and fighting in iraq
i thought of all the mothers who sent their kids off
not knowing if they would ever see them again
i wondered what kind of mothers day
they were having...

we all know this war has been going on
for years
but does it even seem real to us?
it hardly does to me
it's like some movie playing out
somewhere outside of our lives
there's a bunch of villains
and guys running around with guns
and every now and then we catch sight of something
horrific
on the TV
and shudder
maybe let out a small sigh of relief
that no one we know is there...

my friend kristy lost her brother in iraq
it has devastated her
that's the closest it's come to me
and it still seems unfathomable to me
that it's all happening
i just go about my daily business
and try to not think of it
safe in this soft existence of mine
it just makes me too sad
and angry
to think about it all
the futility too
there's nothing i can do to stop it
if i threw a "bag-in" for peace
who would come?

humankind still hasn't learned
anything
have we?
for all our technological advancements
we're still barbarians
with automatic weapons
bombs
jet fighter planes
and missile guidance systems
instead of loincloths and clubs