about war and the children

i don’t write about war

it’s too terrible to put into words

not about lunatics who cause it

young men sent to their deaths 

civilians bombed and killed 

and the children injured

the children dead 

i don’t talk about war

it’s too shocking to say out loud

not about the power and control

starvation used as a ploy

trillions of dollars wasted on evil 

and the children hurting

the children dead 

i try not to think about war

it’s too horrible to have in thoughts

but i hear about it continuously

know about it and the children traumatized

the children dead

nothing in my life is about war

it’s not in my days

in any way,

but many are living it always

watching the killing

losing loved ones

and their children trapped

their children dead

Stephen House has won many awards and nominations as a poet, playwright, and actor. He’s had 20 plays produced with many published by Australian Plays Transform. He’s received several international literature residencies from The Australia Council for the Arts, and an Asialink India literature residency. He’s had two chapbooks published by ICOE Press Australia: ‘real and unreal’ poetry and ‘The Ajoona Guest House’ monologue. His next book drops soon. He performs his acclaimed monologues widely. Stephen had a play run in Spain for 4 years.