Sky Trails

Zankoku na tenshi you ni
Shounen yo shinwa ni nare


On clear days I see tiny, gleaming darts
Trailing white against the blue
Weaving a Tholian web above the town.

I listen for birdsong, and hear
The roar of distant turbines,
Cruel angels in training;

Preparing for a day when an enemy
Might raise impious war in heaven
And they must kill to defend our land.

A lovely day when all might be glad
To be alive, and yet some plan war,
A thing we must do in this world.

Since before we wrote history
Men won glory this way,
Killing others made in God’s image.

Glory they win, but not blessing;
That belongs to the peace-makers,
Who will be called the children of God.

Blessed are the peace-makers,
But what of the peace-keepers,
Who arm in hope of deterring war?

They try, yet some will always raise war
Until the angel, not cruel but implacable,
Sounds the last trumpet, and war is done.

I've never read much poetry, but I enjoyed this. thanks!