Stanley Cooper - Class Distinction

In war-time there’s a ‘class’ hiatus
Snobbish rules are set aside
Low class citizens attain the status
That is, in peace, for them denied

Class systems for centuries have strived
To separate the high and lower masses
Yet in war-time this class-based system survives
Hypocritically, conveniently equalizing the classes

The young who fill the armored ranks
Face possible life extinction
For those who fight and drive the tanks
They make no class distinction

Stanley Cooper

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/class-distinction-3/