Deserter

A Poem by Audrey Owens

Deserter

It doesn’t matter anymore.
Not even now,
After we slept on jagged rocks,
Crawled through caves on our backs,
And laid still for days to avoid exposure.

One by one, they all turned back.
Imagination has no scope of war.
Whatever we signed up for,
It wasn’t this. It never is.
Whatever this is, we just have to face it.

Now I’m down to one and I;
We’re closer to the battle.
At night, no fires burn between us,
And all we have is the chill breath and ragged scars.

I don’t know if I can trust this b*****d,
In the end.
My orders are simple: “Yield.”

And now, as I stand in the open, waiting,
I’m still not sure if I can follow my own command.