Analysis of The cost of War

Prashant Bhatt 1979 (Ludhiana)



We may justify war, citing defence and security;
We may condemn it, invoking peace and humanity.
We may blame it on religion, politics of region, or the gaping historical scars.
We may loathe hate-breeders, overambitious leaders, or their ravenous thirst for power.

But the ones who know it’s impact the most,
are the ones who pay an exorbitant cost.
Let’s go and ask a soldier’s mother, his kids and wife,
who have been stranded in war for the rest of their lives.

Ask the young woman carrying her newborn (or unborn) child, walking miles;
or kids who had to leave their toys and books, at the mercy of missiles.
The cost of war isn’t measured in dollars spent or trade affected,
it’s measured in terms of families shattered and lives impacted.

There’s no winner that emerges from war.
The only things that do emerge, are
the cries of bereaved, the vacuum in their families;
the pain of refuge, and the shameful defeat of humanity.

We may justify war or condemn it as we may,
But the ones who know it’s cost, are the ones who have to pay.


Scheme AAXX XXXX XXXX XXXA BB
Poetic Form
Metre 11101100100100 11011010100100 1111101010110101001001 111110100010111001110 1011110101 10111101001 1101010101101 1111001101111 101101000101111101 11111111011010110 0111110010111010 110011100100110 1110101011 010111011 0110101001100 0111000100110100 111011011111 10111111011111
Closest metre Iambic heptameter
Characters 1,036
Words 188
Sentences 10
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 2
Lines Amount 18
Letters per line (avg) 45
Words per line (avg) 10
Letters per stanza (avg) 162
Words per stanza (avg) 38

About this poem

Ever since the mankind started keeping a log of its history, the only event that has been consistent throughout that phase is ‘War’. We comfortably keep debating for (sometimes) or against (mostly) It, thinking that we all know the genesis and implications of war. But who would know the implications and cost of War than the ones who actually pay the cost of it. This poem is an honest attempt to explore that aspect of war.

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Submitted by RhymingVibes on July 29, 2022

Modified on April 07, 2023

56 sec read
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Prashant Bhatt

Dr. Prashant Bhatt is a Physician by Profession, and a Poet by Passion. He writes poems and songs in English, Hindi and Punjabi. Practising Internal Medicine in India, gave him an opportunity to experience and witness myriad of human emotions related to life. That has been inspiring him to write on life, with humanity and social equality being his favourite food for thought. He maintains blog of his poems at www.rhymingvibes.com more…

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