Numbers 31

One thousand men from every tribe,
Moses sent them on their mission:
"Conquer all, leave nothing standing,
Raze Midian past recognition!"

Fight was fierce and battle glorious,
But no Jew was hurt or missed,
When returned the force victorious
Friends embraced and lovers kissed.

Not a Hebrew dead or ailing,
Yet behind the din of armour,
Shrill, persistent, mournful wailing,
Piercing through the chariots' clamour.

Captive women, boys and girls,
Widowed, orphaned, now enslaved,
Counted with the gold and pearls,
Chained like criminals depraved.

Moses in his fury flared,
"Kill them all: it is your duty!
Only virgins may be spared,
Share them with the other booty."

Havoc then was wreaked tremendous,
Corpses in the dust lay scattered,
Helpless pawns in crime horrendous,
Seems to God they hadn't mattered.

I wrote this in the plane somewhere between Nairobi and Johannesburg. As a poem I expect it is unremarkable, but I would wager that not too much verse has been written at an altitude of 33 000 feet!