by Jackson Mac Low
It was a thing
Of Beauty;
Small, precious
Not strong nor large,
But beautiful.
She was a thing
Of Beauty;
Slender, graceful
Not strong nor tall,
But beautiful
He was a thing
Of Beauty;
Tall, Manly
Not small nor delicate
Like the other
Beautiful things,
But beautiful.
Came War
Came Slaughter
And Destruction;
Wrought for holy causes-
They said.
Both sides fought
For the Good
Of Mankind
By destroying
The things
Of Beauty
The Small and Precious,
The Slender and Graceful,
The Tall and Manly;
Destroyed,
Transformed by men;
It, to a meaningless
Powder
She, to a shapeless,
Jellylike Mass
Of Matter
He, to a festering,
Limbless,
Decapitated,
Corpse.
The good of Mankind
Was served-
They said.
October 1937
Last updated December 25, 2022