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

[Laughing-Bear]

Your poem stuck a cord with me, everyone is someone’s special person. Even those we are told to hate. Very well written.

[howlfjdks]

Surreal.

[Linear]

I hate all violence, it's strange how when we see it first hand, it alters some of us, oh we fought and we killed, but deep inside we know it's all wrong, following the orders of those men in suits, pointing our guns, firing bullets that rip and tear and another mothers son lies in the dirt, anothe fathers last breath leaves a wife and children fatherless, and for what? Oil, territory or just plain greed, no sir i shall never hold a gun again, peace will never come that way, thank you for posting, great poem

I love your writes .. this one is no exception ... you truly are gifted . Superb ending .

[Dinesh Sairam]

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

I'm really happy that you decided to write out your experiences. You really are the best of spoken word poets around here. There's no big imagery, no complexity in the wording, yet you pull out a feeling. You're gifted.

Keep writing.

[pheasant]

now that would be a tough job, but the prayer and respect for the dead helps bring things back to a human level... instead of the cold, calculated brutality of war... a very powerful contrast which brings something Great into something so cold, which makes this piece a good teaching for anyone on the battlegrounds or elsewhere

very well put together and bless you all

[Chloe..Across the Unive..]

So sad and as is said, war is hell. I am sorry it happens but it is our world and always has been.
How right you are about mothers and fathers missing these men .. we are all human..

"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."

Which was good.. well told, tho heartbreaking story.

Chloe

[Danny K]

Very well written. Seriously deep.

[Grace Catherine C.]

This was really interesting, deep and extremely well written