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I Was Wrong (poem)

By Michael Nelson

War itself is, of course, a form of madness.
It's hardly a civilized pursuit.
It's amazing how we spend so much time
inventing devices to kill each other and so
little time working on how to achieve peace.
—Walter Cronkite

I spent every day in Vietnam
thinking we should not be there.

As I watched "Shock and Awe"
I thought we should not be doing this.

As I watched Putin invade Ukraine
I thought this could be the end.

My hope for my child and grandchild is that
someone will find a different way to handle disputes.
It's too late for my generation.

I thought by now we would be over war.

I thought we would realize that war is the
worst thing humans can do to one another.

I was wrong.

—Michael Nelson