Anti-War Poems: Anthology

Mark Bastien was a Toronto-based journalist.

In this anthology, Editor Stephen Gill has collected 120 anti-war poems from over six thousand submissions he received from writers worldwide. At the end of his statistic-packed, six-page introduction, Gill tells us the purpose of the collection is “to condemn war and to promote world peace.” Really.

Anti-War Poems is jam-packed with dozens of terrible poems by writers who should know better. Nuclear holocaust brings out the worst in this select group of poets: pity, disdain, and self-righteousness. These holier-than-thou poems point the finger at whoever will be pointed at. This anthology is the poetic equivalent of a slap on the wrist for bad behaviour by a high-strung grade four teacher.

And the poems! Here are some gems picked at random from the bottom of the poetic barrel (the names are withheld to spare the authors embarrassment): “Great lovers of violence /With their caress of steel, /Lay aside all common sense, / To pursue their lust with zeal; No race in tests and armaments e’er brought /That longed-for ‘peace on earth, to men goodwill’; There are wives grieving, and mothers, too, /While regimes topple because of coups.”

Uh-huh. It makes you wonder what the 5,880 rejected poems were like, doesn’t it?

This ugly-looking black book is a bum deal at the bad-dream price of $35. Stephen Gill is currently editing a companion volume to this collection (Anti-War Poems, Too?). You have been warned.