Once

Once we set our sails
We stared from towers
We brought down empires
And all the while,
We never knew what we were missing
The serenity in a whisper
The beauty in swaying trees
We were killing sheep
Singing songs of war
Talking only of victory
And never did we question,
Or contemplate the solitude in a moment
This world is filled
With something more than air

Once we swam ashore
We rode golden chariots
We ate up the earth below
And somewhere else,
Good people sat together for supper
They laughed for no reason
Happiness kept them safe
We were trampling their spirits
Crashing upon their homes
Barging in unasked
And we thought of nothing,
Consideration thrown to waste
These good people would have
Welcomed us guests unconditional

Once we broke down gates
We shattered city walls
We captured every rebel
And though the youth,
Though they rose against us bravely
Stood strong and straight
Chins held high, minds bold
We looked upon them and spat
Slapped their stubborn jaws
We broke their courage
And all the while,
We thought our violence was right
That our actions were justified
Blinded by our foolish ways