Neil Meili

Zen Cowboy Poet & Freelance Philosopher

Skip to content

Home
Contact
Neil’s Books
Poems
Kind Words
A Neil a Day Poems

Tag Archives: War

To War and Then What

Audio Recordings / tagged Addiction, Loss of Innocence, Memorials, PTSD, Trauma, War / November 12, 2025 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com

To send your children away
to come back corpses or killers
and there may be less difference
between them than we know

In the musical Streets written
for the homeless of Austin
they sing of the addicted vet
put to rest thirty years later

He really died in Vietnam
put his name up on the wall

Remembrance Day Coming Up A Storm

Audio Recordings, Remembering / tagged Armistice Day, Death, Grief, Mourning, Peace, Sacrifice, Soldiers, Veterans, War / November 11, 2025 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com

The wind dries
tears upon the cheeks
while flags go clapping on

Leaves & petals
dance on wreaths
leaning on the cenotaph

And is that
whisling that we hear
a tune for less war or more

Prairie Boys

Audio Recordings / tagged Armistice Day, Remembrance Day, Travel, Veterans, War / November 10, 2025 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com

Peaceful in a non-committal way
more likely to be killed by machinery
than a fellow human being

If you wanted to see a war
you would have to travel across
a great deal of land and more sea

Careful always with your cash
you would not purchase a return ticket

Going off to war – North West Mounted Police Division – Expanse, Saskatchewan, 1915

Mittens

Audio Recordings, Ranch Life / tagged Community, Leaving Home, War / November 9, 2025 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com

Fingers in mittens
are family keeping
each other warm

The cold indifference of gloves
much like the city fold that wore them

Pilots in the war had
mittens with a trigger finger
to do what needed to be done

Somewhere we had got a pair
a hero sometimes has to leave home

Claws

Audio Recordings / tagged Danger, Identity, War / October 18, 2025 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com

The claw of the badger is the badger
and of the bear the bear

As weapons of war are war
and the teeth of the trap the trap

Oh tender soul that you are
may you never have to test this truth

Harem Scarem

Audio Recordings, Haiku / tagged Death, Grief, Insecurity, Suicide Bombing, Violence, War / August 14, 2025 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com

Harems and bomb belts
men can't stand comparison
more virgins weeping

Herd Mentality

Audio Recordings / tagged Dehumanization, Separation, War, Xenophobia / August 10, 2025 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com

North of the ranch house were the hills
named as a group and singly unfamed

Even old Frank who lived in a house
built full into one neer named the hill

Cows were a herd and never named
and a harem of horses was group only
until one condescended to carry you
and raised the relationship to naming

Armies, navies and those from away
were never parsed to persons

In Isreal many names and affections
in Gaza none
How to forget what I learned on the ranch

In Translation

Audio Recordings, Remembering / tagged Atomic Bombs, Japan, Reconcilliation, Survival, Survivors, War, WWII / August 8, 2025 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com

This week is
another Hiroshima anniversary
and this author's poems
are being translated into Japanese

They are in a book
of presence healing pain
what can they look
a Hibakusha in the eye and say

Hibakusha is the name given to those who survived the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, which took place 80 years ago this week.

Hard to Get War Poems to Rhyme

Audio Recordings / tagged Death, Loss, War / June 3, 2025 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com

"No more wars will be won"
- Kris Kristofferson "Under the Gun"

There is a strage beauty in the camaraderie
and how else woould the farm boys see Paree

But the rhyme that comes up every time is crime

Kris Kristofferson “Under the Gun”

1 Reply

The Sadness of Flags

Audio Recordings, Haiku / tagged Death, Regret, War / June 2, 2025 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com

Should not all flags fly
half-mast always to decry
deaths that they have caused

Post navigation

← Older posts

Search

Neil’s Latest Book Available in Paperback and Large Print Edition though Amazon worldwide

Social

View zencowboypoet’s profile on Facebook
View @meilineil’s profile on Twitter
View neilmeili’s profile on Instagram

Want More Poetry? Sign Up Here.

pat psooy on Saturday Night in AustinDecember 6, 2025
Kinda like that better than the shining lights of Vegas
Pamela on Grocery Shopping in AustinDecember 5, 2025
Hi Neil! And Neil is still Neil! Hoping to see you and Dorsey in the new year. My poems have…
Nancy Fierstien on Don’t Judge A House By Its CoverDecember 3, 2025
Another terse verse way to capture the way I feel about living under a blue tin roof for almost 30…
Iudita Harlan on Longing for FamilyNovember 26, 2025
Neil Lovely poem. Sending love to you and Darcy. Iudita
Nancy Fierstien on Eyes of FriendsNovember 6, 2025
Lovin' this one, line after line!

Audio Recordings
Cattle
Cowboy Poetry
Cows
Environment
Family
Farm
Flight
Haiku
Limerick
Manure
Nature
News
Nostalgia
Personal Growth
Pilots
Poems about Poetry
Ranch Life
Relationships
Remembering
String Too Short To Save
Travel
Uncategorized

Tags

Aboriginal Aging Alcohol Art Art & Artists Autumn Beauty Birds Childhood Communication Connection Covid19 Death Dogs Dreams Faith Family Fear First Nations Friendship Gratitude Grief Healing Hope Horses Humor Loss Love Mother Music Nature Perspective Poetry Prairie Psychology Ranch Life Regret Religion sensuality Solitude Spring Voice Dialogue War Winter Wisdom

©2015 Neil Meili. All Right Reserved.

Theme Designed By ThemeVan | Powered by WordPress

Loading Comments...

Write a Comment...

Email

Name

Website