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Epitaph of a Soldier
| Open Poetry #15 |
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Epitaph of a Soldier |
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kaile
since 2000-02-06
Posts 5146singapore 
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My shoulders slouched by the weight of the blasted anti-tank weapon plus my recoiless rifle, I drag my jelly feet forward, can't help smiling at how heavy they seem though they resemble matchsticks. Surely not deserving of the "elephant legs" nickname that I used to have The sun shines mercilessly, almost as if drawing away my final remnants of life force My hands turn to my waterbottles, forgetting yet again that they had long been depleted Throwing them away, I feel too weary to utter swear words, a great source of solace these days besides cigarettes Besides my eyes are drooping and i seem ready to fall dead any moment (ya, i wish huh?) My buddy grabs my hand, reopening my clotted wounds Startled, I turn and realize that we have walked into a trap I would have cursed but there is no time and we comrades fall and struggle to reach the nearest trees, yearning not to be shot "I promise i will serve Lord better" I swear i hear some people utter Attack is the best form of defence, some fool said and we follow his advice, charging, scampering, whimpering, yelling forward, towards the enemy using well-rehearsed fire-and-movement techniques Though i find out too late that it actually requires enormous guts to move forward while your mates are shooting behind you Gosh, i wonder how many of us are killed by our own teammates You might think me absurd but i assure you one comforts himself in such mundane thoughts when his life is dangling by a paper-thin thread Then, my buddy falls I curse badly I have an sudden urge to crawl towards him and whine about bad fortunes I vaguely wonder if i should stop and grab his ID tag I strongly feel compelled to stop QUIT and wander around me, leaving some sign around these blasted lands to show Dolleen and the kids how i really love them All these whirl through my head in the few seconds i get shot myself Ya,do i really expect to come out alive? Ha! ha! what a joke! Yet, i am strangely disappointed I guess a tiny part of me hangs on to the illusion that life would go on after the war I smile, trying to comfort myself, (gosh, those depression pangs hurt even more than the shot itself) cough out some more blood and prepare to nap Oh, Dolleen..ohhhh [This message has been edited by faterider (edited 08-06-2001).] |
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| © Copyright 2001 heng kaile - All Rights Reserved | |||
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paladin
since 2001-08-05
Posts 930Pensacola,Fl. |
Really vivid images and the feelings that go with them.Like we use to say in Viet Nam."There it is".Peace brother. paladin [This message has been edited by paladin (edited 08-06-2001).] |
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Seymour Tabin Member Empyrean
since 1999-07-07
Posts 31720Tamarac Fla |
Faterider, I read with mixed emotion having been under fire. |
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Sven
since 1999-11-23
Posts 14937East Lansing, MI USA |
this is one of the finest things that you have written faterider. . . you tell the story superbly, and really get into the emotions and the scene that is being shown here. . . well done my friend. . . well done. . . ------------------------------------------------------------------ To the world, you may only be one person. But to one person, you may be the world. |
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kaile
since 2000-02-06
Posts 5146singapore |
paladin..i have been to vietnam for holidays and i am curious to hear of your experiences... seymour, i hope this musing didn't bring back bad memories sven thank you for your enormous compliment...i feel proud of this piece too... thanx all  |
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Balladeer
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-05
Posts 25505Ft. Lauderdale, Fl USA |
Kaile, this poem is right on in many regards. War is not John Wayne leading a charge for God and to preserve the sanctity of the free world. In battle, it is a group of individual soldiers, many not more than kids, trying to stay alive from one day to the next...one does this many times by filling the head with mundane thoughts and random scenarios floating through the mind. I remember looking at one scraggly flower in the middle of a barren field wondering if it would survive the current battle. One does that. You can think about people trying to kill you, bullets and explosions coming in, buddies dying around you, wondering if you will live to see the next 5 minutes.....or you can think about a scraggly flower. It is the mind's way of self-preservation to keep one from going insane in the insanity of it all. There was a female DJ in Viet Nam with the unlikely name of Chris Noel (her real name WAS Chris) who continuously used the phrase "Don't mean nuttin'" so much so that it was patched onto fatigues and became a password for the war and was used to keep one's thoughts into perspective. The way your thoughts ramble in this poem is very accurate and it's amazing how you would come up with thoughts like promising God to do better if you get through this and wondering about being cut down by "friendly fire" because these exact thoughts do indeed occur. A soldier in battle is indeed like the poster of the mouse giving the finger to the swooping hawk with talons outstretched as a "last act of great defiance"....don't mean nuttin'. |
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JamesMichael Member Empyrean
since 1999-11-16
Posts 33336Kapolei, Hawaii, USA |
Creative...James |
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maeve Member
since 2001-08-01
Posts 139In the Outback |
Kaile, your understanding of war is incredible and the way you expressed it wonderful. I enjoyed the mix of emotions and pictures you created here. Maeve Take me home to Erin's shores, |
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Elizabeth Santos Member Rara Avis
since 1999-11-08
Posts 9269Pennsylvania |
THis touched me very deeply THe words are moving and yet in spirit I'm unable to grasp something that was never experienced. Your verses are alive with emotion, fear, the unexpected, the drama, the pain. It is a captivating verse from beginning to end. I was also intrigued with Balladeer's response. Thank you both for the insight. Liz |
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