solemn declaration

at last the war has ended with no shout
of victory and no groans from those who lost
instead we count the human and material cost
and wonder what the whole thing was about
we ask for nothing not even the redoubt
where one last regiment perished in frost
or the long bay which by a storm was tossed
everyone today wants to be the good scout
the waste of life and money does not matter
what we have done here we will not forget
our worthless hides are good enough for us
if we ask the hard questions we might shatter
the fragile peace and that is cause to fret
all of our kind seem to have missed the bus