Bardroy's Song
War is the equalizer...
I wore a uniform
I carried a gun
I stood with my platoon
but alone,
I survived
because I was quick.
I am quick.
Life doesn't stay still for you
to catch a glance,
to catch a smoke,
to catch your breath...
You must be quick.
There is no peace
when the air around you
is thick with blood,
and death,
and grief,
and faces twisted
with pain
and horror.
You must be quick.
Rush through the thick black smoke
before the bullets
rip you apart
from your soul.
You must be quick.
The enemy will not wait
for you to catch your comrade
falling,
to catch the next safe space between flying shrapnel and whizzing bullets,
to catch a moment of
reflection...
I'm tired of this...
There is dirt and gravel sunk into my skin.
There is a taste of metal sitting on my tongue.
There is silence,
just silence,
hanging over me.
A heavy musty silence like a blanket of sorrow
stretched all across the field
and God forgive me
this is the first peace I have felt
in a long
long
time.
You will need to slow down,
My eyes rest upon this pilar of black.
You will learn to use your hands to create.
I close my eyes and laugh,
light a cigarette
and inhale deeply...
Peace...