Serious Poem difficult/sensitive subject for child or teen

Introduction: This is an unpublished poem written by my niece. She is a sixth grader and enjoys poetry. Her father is career military, so the war is a very personal subject for her. Her comment follows:

"Another about war. Heh. This one is one of my longest, I'm quite proud of it. Tell me what you think. :)"

THE SHADOWED WAVE OF WAR
By: Haleigh Driver
(age 12)

It hit us like a wave;
One that swept across the nation,
and made people's faces grave.
Of course there were protestors, fighting their own battle in desperation.
There were others who did agree, and some who just didn't mind.
They said it was right. We should have expected it.
And the protestors roared, shrieking that war was unkind!
But yet either way, whether you agree or not, we've been forced into a deep pit.

The war goes on and on,
soldiers deploying one after the other in great waves.
Their cries echo through the land,
Of two breeds, one murderous and lethal, the other distressed and pained.
There is a price to pay for this life we lead,
those who cannot pay it are kicked to the curb.
And then what? They are replaced by another unfortunate soul.

Doomed we all are!
For war is ageless, and will go on forever!
Always ageless war! No matter how hard we fight!
For fighting is not the answer.
No, not until we can see the light, and then take the step to meet it.
Until we can set aside all differences, and become united,
join hands as one in this wide world,
There will be war, creeping after us like shadows.
Not until we can understand,
will this war end.

copyright 2007
Used with Haleigh & her parents' permission

Extensions:

Write letters (with parent permission to servicemen and women)

If a student has military personnel serving overseas gather a care package to send.

Older students: Essay or debate pro/con war

Write original poem about a difficult or serious subject. I actually had my class try this and many of them wrote about the loss of a loved one.