Poet William Stafford was a conscientious objector
during World War II. A wonderful 32
minute documentary video, “Every War Has Two Losers,” has been done of his life
as a writer and man of peace. The video,
directed by Haydn Reiss, includes commentary by Robert Bly, W.S. Merwin and Alice Walker,
among others.
Stafford, who lived from 1914 to 1993, is revealed as a
down to earth man and artist, who was a voice for peace and simple decency. The video is available online from Amazon, as
are many of Stafford’s poetry
books.
The flavor of Stafford’s poetic voice for peace can be found in his
poem:
At the
Un-National Monument Along the Canadian
Border
This is the field where the battle did
not happen,
where the unknown soldier did not
die.
This is the field where grass joined hands,
where no monument stands,
and the only heroic thing is
the sky.
Birds fly here without any sound,
unfolding their wings across the open.
No people killed –
or were killed – on this ground
hollowed by the
neglect of an air so tame
that people celebrate it by forgetting its
name.