I don’t want to write this poem – a poem for Devarim

And we conquered all [Sihon’s] cities at that time, and utterly destroyed every city, the men, women, and the young children; we left over no survivor.
~ Deuteronomy 2:34

… another one inspired by my
ancestors’ zeal for war.

They said God said and
brought the war in.

They took all human life
every age of human

from the wise-eyed
to the able-bodied

to the young who had
never spoken the word war.

They only took the cattle
as even the spoils were detested.

It wasn’t the first time.
It wasn’t the last.

I am in the never war camp.
I’m in the should we have

argued with the instructions camp.
I’m in the when we have to

wage war to survive a
few thousand years later

aren’t they going to look back at this
and say ‘see how they are’ camp.

I want to write about our triumph
over slavery but every time I

turn a page I find we’re
eating another apple.

Where are the chapters where
we’re told to wage peace?

I want to write about waging peace.
War has taken too much space

in my poems.
Just like the moon

Rick Lupert, a poet, songleader and graphic designer, is the author of 28 books including “God Wrestler: A Poem for Every Torah Portion.” Find him online at www.JewishPoetry.net