Faith in the things that good humans can do

It was the apocalypse

A time when the worse angels of our nature reigned

The incomprehensibly long years July 1914 until November 1918

It was the end of civilization, everything changed,

the point of pivot is clear

The blossoms of the better angels of human nature were pummeled

under the spread of primordial tank tracks

Peace movements everywhere celebrated

old traditions, values, and life

To be shunted aside by the glory of excited nationalism

Blinding millions in the spectacle of fireworks and flags

Righteous class conscious mutinies brutally crushed

Brothers from France, Germany, Russia, and England

Forced separate by death doled out by terrified servants of the royal

The rise of women for peace and for votes

Jailed, of course

Exhaustion arrived with forbidden longing for peace until

The American president flipped abandoned his sincere old values

Prolonging and reigniting the human meat grinder

Making sure there’d be a second such war even worse than this

Our worse angels triumphed and none of it was ever really settled

To this day the same battles rage

With new and improved weapons

Not the least of which is simple terror

We do have better angels, I swear we do