Jack London



                   The Way of War


                   Man primeval hurled a rock,
                   Torn with angry passions, he;
                   To escape the which rude shock.
                   Foeman ducked behind a tree.

                   Man primeval made a spear,
                   Swifth of death on battle field;
                   Foeman fashioned other gear,
                   Fought behind his hidebound shield.

                   Man mediaeval built a wall,
                   Said he didn't give a dam;
                   Foeman not put out at all,
                   Smashed it with a battering ram.

                   Man mediaeval, just for fun,
                   Made himself a coat of mail;
                   Foeman laughed and forged a gun,
                   Peppered him with iron hail.

                   Modern man bethought a change,
                   Cast most massive armor-plate;
                   Foeman just increased his range,
                   Tipped his ball to penetrate.

                   Modern man, with toil untold,
                   Deftly built torpedo boats;
                   Foeman launched "destroyer" bold,
                   Swept the sea of all that floats.

                   Future man — ah! who can say? —
                   May blow to smithereens our earth;
                   In the course of warrior play
                   Fling death across the heavens' girth.

                   Future man may hurl the stars,
                   Leash the comets, o'er-ride space,
                   Sear the universe with scars,
                   In the fight 'twixt race and race.

                   Yet foeman will be just as cute —
                   Amid the rain falling suns,
                   Leave the world by parachute,
                   And build ethereal forts and guns.

                   And when the skies begin to fall
                   The foeman still will new invent —
                   Into a star-proof world he'll crawl,
                   Heaven insured from accident.


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