These Are Tragic Times Poem by L MILTON HANKINS

These are tragic times when destinies lie
Enshrouded by war's soggy drapes
And hopeless elegies fair tomorrows deny
Pitifully anguished days of separation--
Heartache, remorse and fear dare
To overshadow the lightest heart's array
Reclothing them in deep despair.
O, tragic times when men must fight
To preserve the nobler state; wend their way
Through a thousand wrongs to make a right
And spill their precious blood upon a field
Carelessly--needlessly and call it honor's sake
These are tragic times that death will not yield
To life, and wars our bravest take.


American Fellowship of Poets
Peace Poem Prize,1968