The Cost of War...

The Cost of War: A Coffee Shop Reflection

We told you not to go,

but you swore you could

make a difference in a war zone.

You sat in a lakeside coffee shop,

drinking coffee and eating pound cake.

You flipped through a newspaper that spoke

of wars and rumors of wars.

The news played on the large TVs.

People of means surrounded you,

sipping lattes and checking their stock portfolios.

You see it, but they don’t.

You feel the ground vibrating beneath your feet.

You felt it as the windows shattered

and patrons scattered like rats on a sinking ship.

You sat there holding the paper

as if you could see just an inch in front of your eyes.

If the end comes, don’t lose your pride.

You found pride in times of despair.

You knew no one was coming to save you.

A ceasefire in two weeks, politicians said.

You laughed at their willful deception.

A war rages outside the city limits.

Jets bomb, and people pick through the rubble.

A back draft flickers flames through the ash.

Your end signals a broken ceasefire.

You should have taken a train.

You sat over coffee before work.

Fighter jets destroyed the building where you planned to pitch a project. You’re the only one left.

Everyone else met their end, all because you stopped for coffee.

And you proved us wrong; your purpose healed a city and your family.

By Andy Cooper

From: United States