War Babies

Wars are expensive
the price is more than the cost of bullets
or warriors fallen on the battlefields
cities bombed to rubble
the destruction extends back towards home
to wives and children
and the life left behind
damages that can persist for generations

I was born when the whole world was at war
My father left for the front lines in North Africa and Italy
when I was just a babe in arms
with a brother left germinating in my mother's womb

I never saw my father until the war ended
my younger brother was still just three years old
and made the father/son bond intuitively
i missed the cut
my father came back a year too late for me to make a natural bond
prematurely pushed off the breast at one year of age
left to wean myself
at four years of age
the analytical half of my brain was already activated
instead of my natural role as a loving son and brother
i became an objective observer
a tiny child prematurely assessing parental behavior
and judging family values
community values
spiritual values
without a loving connection

WWI and WWII
damaged the intrinsic value of a billion families
the survivors keep paying the price broken homes
dysfunctional families
communities and nations divided within themselves
and a world left in confusion
under attack by terrorists