Melting Snow

War Tourism

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Author's Note: The title of the following poem, "where once the blood-drenched armies clashed," is a quote from 'Abdu'l-Baha located in Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá 206: “Praise be to Him Who hath rent the dark asunder,…”.

The "Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise"  prompt for DAY 1235
The tourism industry titles the journeys to once-upon-a-time war zones or WWII death camps as “war tourism”? What do you think about this?

What do I think of "war tourism"? I have a couple of problems with it, (1) I don't like the name "war tourism", and (2) I think the tourist industry is jumping the gun because wars are still going on. I believe that the battlefields of yesterday and today will eventually be places for tourist because wars will eventually cease, but that is still a long way off. The following poem was written in either 1991 or 1992 from a future prospective.

Where Once the Blood-Drenched Armies Clashed

Within Beijing's Tienanmen Square,
The children of a new China ride,
Their voices echoing through the air,
Upon democracy's swelling tide.
Withing "the Square where no one died,"
When People's Army with students clashed,
When Democracy with Hard Line vied,
Where once the blood-drench armies clashed.

Within Kuwait City's market square,
The children of a new Kuwait ride,
Their laughter filling the desert air,
Upon unity's swelling tide.
Within the city where many died,
When "the mother of all battles" flashed,
When Saddam Hussein with world leaders vied,
Where once the blood-drench armies clashed.

Within Moscow's Red Square,
The children of a new Russia ride,
Their joy filling the morning air,
Upon freedom's swelling tide.
Within the square where very few died,
When the people with the army clashed,
When Democracy with the Old Guard vied,
Where once the blood-drench armies clashed.

These are humanity's pleasure grounds,
Where once the guns of hatred flashed,
Now they echo with jovial sounds,
Where once the blood-drench armies clashed.