War Spells Doom

A monochrome oil painting,

With a variety of white geometric figures,

Against a black backdrop,

The painting, ‘Guernica’ spoke of the misery

Of innocent people who suffered loss,

For no fault of theirs.

The city of Guernica, in northern Spain,

Was bombed by the Nazis and Fascist Italy,

To wipe out the Republican rebels,

But erased all love and harmony, instead.

Picasso’s careful, but powerful strokes,

Revealed the trauma of the people, in a war-stricken world.

A woman whose house was destroyed by the bombs,

Fell down with her house, her cries going unheard.

Another woman cradled a dead child in her arms,

With her face etched with lines of agony and torment,

She wailed, mourning the loss of her child.

Flames consumed everything in their way,

Eating up people and buildings alike,

Turning a once vibrant city, full of joy and cheer,

Into a black-and-white place of ruins.