“Why I Invented War”
by Robert Wendell King

Only because I had soldiers.
Given a set of lead cows, I would have
invented agriculture, the morning
driving to the fields, the evening back,

one barking dog, one herd-boy singing,
after I’d invented song, and strolling
back to the unruffled house. I would have
invented houses, drawn a spiral of smoke

from each chimney in town. Would have invented
towns. Would have invented fire for each hearth,
invented hearths, invented water to
put out fires, and because I had water

I would have invented flowers. But I had
only soldiers. This went on for years.

***

For more poetry by Robert Wendell King, check out his collection Some of These Days.