Massacre of the Innocents | Musings on a Relevant Piece of War Art

I.

Battered skulls,
pupils enlarged in terror,
swords dripping in blood,
streets reeking of human remains;
how timeless and infuriating
is Rubens' art work
serving to provide
an artistic testimony 
to indifference and depravity
recurring in human nature;
a Déjà vu of events,
trapped in a vicious cycle
of painful reminiscing,
leaving everlasting imprints
of scars and wounds
on the abused figures
and the unsuspecting observer.

II.

My ears can discern
the shrills and cries
of antagonizing agony
from wide gaping mouths
that resonate like thunder
and derange my senses by
bursting both eardrums,
probing into my brain
rupturing the universal
set of nerves that
grieve and protest against
the unholy massacre
of countless innocents.

III.

My eyes can see
grim, macabre streets
stained with abnormal traces
of dark blood flow,
recreating morbid scenes
of horror and gore
from a devilish nightmare
leaving me speechless,
paralyzed and drenched
in cold sweat and tears;
sick, revolting images
of chunks of human flesh
are now a part of my existence
telling harrowing tales
of murder, grief and loss.

IV.

My mind predicts,
the fall of future empires,
the complete collapse
of human civilization
resulting from the
tyrannical rampages
of merciless dictators
who raise a battle-cry
that is sure to slaughter
legions of innocents,
bringing the end of times
a century closer.

V.

Naive are you,
if you trick yourself
into believing that
the milk of human kindness
is a trait gifted equally
to all of mankind;
why, else, do I see
our past and present
littered with such
gruesome happenings?
Terrifying to imagine
let alone witness -
the massacre of innocents
though still sending
shock waves through my body
has lost all elements of surprise.

R.I.P dear children of Gaza. You did not deserve this.

© Copyright: Leah Chrestien. November 2023.  The post ‘Massacre of the Innocents’ first appeared on The Ecstatic Storyteller. The author reserves the right to the content. No reproduction of content in any form is permitted without the prior consent of the author.