Soldiers don’t feel
they’re just tools of war
the worth of their lives
is more bloody the gore
some battles end quick
with a shot to the head
but the horror of slaughter
never comes to an end
I can still smell the reek
of a festering wound
and feel the infection
of a friend gone too soon
I wake up at night
and feel the grip of their hand
choking me with the truth
that I killed an innocent man
I did what they said
I obeyed their command
but now by myself
I’m the devil’s best friend
the only thing left
is that medal of bones
those agonized screams
and the fact I will never go home
12 comments
You’ve cited the horrors
How nerves became steel
And with each drop of blood
How hearts were annealed
With fear, obedience,
Survival, or zeal
Until memory haunts you
With the fates you have sealed
‘Neath armor and Kevlar
Each wound was concealed
Until hearts wear fatigue
And the truth is revealed
As the senses remind you
Your nightmare is real
That though bullets has missed
You had died in that field
In all that you wrote
You showed soldiers DO feel
That death wounds the soul
And the soul never heals
That we must remember
We can’t build a home
With blood made with mortars
And meddling with bones
Sorry, you inspired me
The last line of mine probably would have made more sense in context as “and hearts made of stone”, but I liked the phrases you used and tried to work them in to make it more into a sort of poetic dialogue.
that was amazing, well done copeless
Sequels aren’t typically as good as the original, and this is certainly no exception to that, but I appreciate that you thought highly of it anyhow. I don’t really capture the vivid energy and metaphoric imagery like you do.
Maybe we could do a 5 seconds of stendarr feat. copelessness poetry battle sometime, haha. I’m kidding. I couldn’t hold a candle to righteous might, let alone one of the nine divines. Of course since stendarr is also the god of mercy and tolerance, perhaps you’d take the full 5 seconds to leave me speechless. :p
Really though, it was kind of you to say. Thank you.
no, I really loved it, I think it was better than mine to be honest, I didn’t know you wrote poetry, you should write more often, I’d love to read it!
Awww…thanks. *gets all bashful and tips his right foot up, pivoting it back and forth on the toe* Definitely not better,thankit’s nice you regard it so highly.
Actually, I used to write a lot of poetry/song lyrics. I’ve written some short stories too, but not many and most of that was a while ago. I still have an idea for a story but the few people I’ve told about it don’t seem to get it. It involves a lot of allegory though so maybe I’m not making that clear. I don’t know, I struggle to communicate verbally with people sometimes, especially if it’s something about me.
Most things I have written are just really depressing since I just always feel so sad but I’ve written poems about a lot of subjects. It had actually been since late last summer I think when I had written anything like that, but after reading your poem I just felt inspired to write a sort of reply.
Symphony of Stendarr: Amazing poem. You expressed so well having gone to horror’s edge and feeling that you can never come back. But you can, I promise you. I don’t have a magic way and I don’t know where to lead you, but keep looking. You have too much heart not to have a home, even if it’s not the place you grew up.
thanks so much
*silently enjoying*
Did you watch American Sniper? I thought that was an excellent film.
Haven’t watched it yet but yeah everybody said it was awesome! 😀