The Price of Conflict

In ledgers cold, they tally costs,
Of bullets spent and battles lost,
But who can count the tears that fall,
Or measure grief’s unending pall?

They speak of land and resources gained,
Of strategic points so dearly attained,
But what of childhood’s laughter lost,
Is that accounted in the cost?

They boast of technological might,
Of weapons that can end the fight,
But can they calculate the price,
Of nightmares that will not suffice?

In war rooms, maps are marked with pins,
Denoting where each clash begins,
But can they chart the course of lives,
Derailed by conflict’s jagged knives?

They count the dead, the wounded too,
As if these numbers tell what’s true,
But how to quantify the dreams,
Extinguished by war’s brutal schemes?

The cost of tanks and planes they know,
Each missile’s price, precise to show,
But what’s the value of a smile,
That war has stolen all the while?

They measure progress by the mile,
Of land retaken, foe exile,
But how to gauge the trust that’s lost,
When neighbors pay suspicion’s cost?

Economic impact they assess,
GDP and trade distress,
But can they count the cost of fear,
That lingers year after year?

They tally up the days of war,
Each hour of conflict, keeping score,
But who can count the silent years,
Of peace destroyed by hate and fears?

The price of rebuilding they’ll project,
Of structures raised from war’s effect,
But can they estimate the toll,
Of reconstructing human soul?

In history books, they’ll write of wins,
Of heroic deeds and valiant sins,
But will they speak of simple joys,
Forever lost to girls and boys?

So when they speak of war’s great price,
Of sacrifice and pain concise,
Remember costs that can’t be told,
In figures black or coffers gold.

For conflict’s true cost lies unseen,
In broken hearts, in futures lean,
In trust destroyed and love undone,
In every setting of the sun.

Let us then count the cost of peace,
Invest in ways that wars might cease,
For in the end, we’ll surely find,
That conflict’s price is all mankind.