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The Conscientious Objector

Submitted by Kelly Ann Wilson on Tue, 2024-09-24 19:22

The Conscientious Objector
Written by Kelly Ann Wilson

He was willing to follow
His rage to war
While I bring mine
To march with signs in the streets.

He mistook bearing arms
For strength,
But the conscientious objector
Keeps their humanity.

For him, the hell will never end.
He can’t escape his own fortress
Like I did.

Therein lies the difference,
And draws a line between
My side and his,
Doesn’t it?

He saw me as something
That he had any right to wound.

And I saw that anyone
Who would do this
Was already wounded.

Written September 24, 2024
© 2024 Kelly Ann Wilson

Style / type: 
Free verse
Last few words: 
Read my writer’s blog at https://kwilsonarts.wordpress.com/
Editing stage: 
Editing - polished draft
Content level: 
Not Explicit Content

Comments

Geezer

Tue, 2024-09-24 21:19

Geezer's picture
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I see to change or edit, is the tenses.
You have mixed them in the first two stanzas.

He was willing to follow
his rage to war
While I [brought] mine
To march with signs in the streets.

He [mistakes] bearing arms
For strength,
But, the conscientious objector
Keeps their humanity.

Other than that, I think it is good,
like something a college student would have written about the Vietnam War.
Someone who was there, living in that era. ~ Geez.
.

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