Proactive

Poppies remind of the slain
and those of us who remain
remember the past
when evil deeds were unseen
and many had not believed
why the nations had had to invervene,
until after the war
realised what had gone on before:
unaware
of hidden terrors
that had lurked out of sight:

but
seek hatred’s end before war break out,
bitterness breeds escalation,
mixed motives, impulsive anger, retaliation
on all sides, such mess
and distress,
collateral damage and death.