Just men

First job in country of Kuwait in 1992. Move the dead frozen bodies from Death Valley.

Just men                   

 
(I got to Iraq. My first task was to move the frozen dead bodied of Iraqi  soldiers
 killed at Death valley.)


Listless and cold.
We moved the frozen dead bodies.

 
Men who were slaughtered by planes at Death Valley.
Air Force sent  them to their god and paradise.

 
Four soldiers doing what we are told.
Working in silence.


My mind opt. out of thinking of the bodies as men.

 
No-one tried to claim the bodies.
We were told to move the frozen bodies to a larger storage container.
Then it would wait for somewhere to be ship.


 
Four men discussed the task after.
Joe told me he wanted to pray for them.
He asked me.  "Does anyone care about these men?


 
I told him "somewhere there is a mother and
family who is heartbroken and sad.
They don't know if these men are alive or dead."


"Guns and bombs don't give a s**t who they kill."


 
Joe forced us to pray.
He asked God to help these poor men on their journey.
He prayed they can go home and find peace.


 We sat in silence.

 
Funny part after we pray for the frozen bodies.
We looked at the containers with different respect and eyes.

 
We went back to moving the dead.
We put them down with ease and kindness now.


                                   Coyote
                                   January 2009
 

                                                                                                               

Author's Note

A old story. In War faces of men become the same. We must remember the Soldiers are fathers, sons and mothers, daughters.

Reviews

[A]

Wars are the most fatal disease humanity ever faced, I could never understand how cruel and heartless people, or careless enough to cause or start a war specially the war of Iraq what was the point?! There were no nuclear weapons and Iraqi soldiers weren't attacking USA...How many people have died from both the army and the people, peace is missing from this world;hopefully not forever, great work, thank you for sharing

This is one of only 3 poems that has ever made me truly tear up. The way you broke this story up was wonderful... I will be reading this one again in the future.

[lei]

war, there's always death and sacrifices.. no winning ends nor losing ends..

[Liz Gonzales Aguilar]

Nobody really wins in a war. What does it leave? It leaves a lot of orphaned children and widowed wives at the least. Every soldier, every rebel, is somebody's husband, wife, daughter, son.
This is a wonderful write.

[Matthew Ryan Hardy]

Really nice poem, I like the way you write. It's not like distinct, it's not sitting there yelling out at you saying its a poem. In all of this poem its really Good. It kinda feels like I can relate, even though that I have never had to do anything like that, and don't plan on it

War is a very hard thing, even to think about as a 18 year old guy. Nothing I really want to do, unless its a last ditch effort if the rest of my plans don't work out.

-Matthew Hardy-

[An owl on the moon]

What a deeply moving account... you take us all there to that place of death and sorrow... lifeless bodies strewn around... dreams but dust for them... and no one to care. A poignant glimpse at the battlefields that still fill our world with bodies... once lives of hopes and aspirations.

[Chris Yip]

A very quiet but yet strong anti - war statement based on your war experiences. One can feel the waste and hopelessness of death as a result of war. I can also feel how the experience moved you emotionally and spiritually as you are faced with the cold hard facts of war. WELL DONE AGAIN, a story said in a poem.

[Liza]

I always learn so much from your experiences creatively spilled - it is a miracle and a blessing your heart has been centered.

[The Rock And Roll Cowbo..]

I ca not imagine the emotional horrors inflicted upon soldiers at war... we see them as heroes which they are but they are human beings as well, though the Government treats them like statistics.