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Poem of the Week

Music: Prelude in E minor.
By Dimitri Shostakovich. Sequenced by J. Marques.
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Murder Ought Not Ever Be a Duty

Murder ought not ever be a duty,
Even though for soldiers it must be.
Maybe one is bound by love or beauty
Only after one is safe and free.
Remember, then, those who murdered for you,
Invading, burning, bombing in your name,
And those whose plain white tombstones are before you,
Long dead, with neither guilt nor pride nor shame.
Deep within the heart the cause of war,
Alive and well, assures us there'll be more,
Yielding hatred, fear, revenge, and pain.

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