by Langston Hughes (1902 - 1967)

Language: English 
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.

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Composition:

    Set to music by Elie Siegmeister (1909 - 1991), "War", 1966, published 1978, orchestrated 1967 [ low voice and piano or orchestra ], from The Face of War, no. 5

Text Authorship:

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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2010-11-19
Line count: 25
Word count: 97