| The Box Once upon a time, in the land of hush-a-bye, Around about the wonderous days of yore, They came across a sort of box Bound up with chains and locked with locks And labeled, "Kindly do not touch, it's war." A decree was issued round about - All with a flourish and a shout And a gaily coloured mascot Tripping lightly on before - "Don't fiddle with this deadly box Or break the chains or pick the locks, And please don't ever mess about with war." Well the children understood, Children happen to be good And were just as good around the time of yore. They didn't try to pick the locks Or break into that deadly box And never tried to play about with war. Mommies didn't either, Sisters, Aunts, nor Grannies neither, 'Cos they were quiet and sweet and pretty In those wonderous days of yore, Well, very much the same as now, And not the ones to blame somehow, For opening up that deadly box of war. But someone did. Someone battered in the lid And spilled the insides out across the floor, A sort of bouncy, bumpy ball Made up of flags and guns and all The tears and horror and death That goes with war. It bounced right out And went bashing all about And bumping into everything in store. And what was sad and most unfair Was that it didn't really seem to care Much who it bumped, or why, Or what, or for. It bumped the children mainly, And I'll tell you this quite plainly, It bumps them everyday and more and more, And leaves them dead and burned and dying, Thousands of them sick and crying, 'Cos when it bumps, it's very, very sore. There is a way to stop the ball, It isn't very hard at all, All it takes is wisdom And I'm absolutely sure We could get it back into the box And bind the chains and lock the locks, But no one seems to want to save the children anymore. Well, that's the way it all appears, 'Cos it's been bouncing round for years, In spite of all the wisdom wizzed Since those wonderous days of yore, And the time they came across that box Bound up with chains and locked with locks And labeled, "Kindly do not touch, it's war." by Kendrew Lascelles ~ ~ ~ Whispers - Home |
