The Urge to Win

We almost forgot that the state of

peace is a snapshot during pauses

of violence and strife.

Sometimes the break lasts longer than

an average life, so that a war nearby

is unthinkable for the youth.

But the tendency to seize power by force

is incorporated into the fabric of beasts:

even of those who are human.

Although the spirit strives for peace

it succumbs to the pressure of its shell

with, above all, the urge to win.

English translation of Dutch original.