Langston Hughes
War
The face of war is my face
The face of war is your face

What color
Is the face
Of war?

Brown, black, white–
Your face and my face

Death is the broom
I take in my hands
To sweep the world
Clean
I sweep and I sweep
Then mop and I mop
I dip my broom in blood
My mop in blood–
And blame you for this
Because you are there
Enemy
It’s hard to blame me
Because I am here
So I kill you
And you kill me
My name
Like your name
Is war