Poetry: The Green and Peaceful Meadow

(Originally written October 2007 for the JannRae art challenge. the image was a painting of a happy, fluffy bunny…)

The Green and Peaceful Meadow

The little fluffy bunny sits in his field of green,
chewing on the clover feeling alert and yet serene.
The birds chirp in the branches and the butterflies all dance
while the sweet scent of the lilac adds a hint of soft romance.

The bunny hops along and pauses by a leafy fern,
waiting for his mate from her foraging to return.
Then he hears the sound of footsteps, louder now as they draw near –
a host of men and weapons march beneath a sky so clear

The bunny sniffs the air, wiggling his tiny nose,
he smells the marching men and his trepidation grows.
Soon stomping boots surround him, they move mindless towards their goal,
he scampers through the grass and weeds escaping this patrol.

The bunny darts into his den, his heart beats fierce and wild.
The soldiers march above his head without a word or smile.
Explosions rip through air and sky, raining fire on the earth,
the bunny burrows further while men run and duck and curse

The meadow now lays desolate, smoke clouds the darkened sky,
scorched earth is all that marks the land where so many men have died,
eradicate each other in the conquests of this war.
If they must they’ll kill the world with principles they’re fighting for

The little fluffy bunny sits on a patch of barren land,
his happy meadow ruined by the greedy hand of man.
His habitat’s destroyed and his mate will not return
now there’s nothing left for him to do but watch the dead world burn

and… it won. My first winning poem. Yay!