The Demon Dogs of War

A poem

Photo by ARTISTIC FRAMES on Unsplash

Listen to an audio recording of The Demon Dogs of War:

Here they go,
the demon dogs of war,
growling and howling
to high heaven.
Foaming and frothing
at the mouth they leap,
clawed paws in the air.
Fangs bared, hackles raised
and ears laid back, they strain
and break their chains!

The smell of splattered blood,
the taste of spilling, oozing guts,
the thrill of soaring engines
and falling, exploding bombs,
buildings crumbling and collapsing 
into smoke, dust and rubble,
bodies burst, ruptured and flung
in the blast, dismembered parts
and pieces of unidentifiable persons,
the wounded writhing and screaming
for help or a merciful release,
survivors crying and calling out
for love ones lost, buried,
incinerated, vaporized, gone,
sirens blaring and crowds scrambling
in every direction, not knowing 
where or how to flee in time
and for how long.

This is the food they feed on,
the demon dogs of war:
Chaos, collapse, death, destruction, 
dissolution, desperation, suffering. 
Such are the bright, blinding images 
that fill their dreams of fame and glory,
that fuel their delusions of grandeur,
that enflame their lust for supremacy,
power and profit.

Unrestrained by international law,
unreined in by reason and morality,
untrained in diplomacy and decency,
the demon dogs of war will run wild 
until at last they are put down.

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