Killer on the road

What good and bad we do in a life. The scars will always stay with us.

Killer on the road


A Iraqi man sipping  his coffee.
He watches the military trucks drive by.

He look to the sky and murmur a pray.
I will miss you my wife, my children.
He caresses his chest. 
He feel the bomb wrapped tightly against his body.

His eyes are sad and he knows he has no choice.
They killed his brothers.
They came to his country and torn it down to rubble.

He believed in a eye for a eye. 
He will be in paradise soon.
Tears fall from his eyes as he think of his wife sleeping alone.

Soldier with M-16 loaded and ready.
He tells his buddy going to be a good night.
Going to kill a few of them damn  terrorist.


His buddy with a bible in his hand.
Pray to survive the night without firing his guns.
He whisper  I pray I make it through the night.
Please lord keep me safe and let me go home soon.


The city is quiet and the soldier are on alert.
The gunner pass the coffee to his friends.
Tells him my eyes are seeing ghosts again.

 
He watches the morning light began to appear.
He thinks of a mother and father waiting and hoping to see him.
He makes a mental note to call them tomorrow.


A middle age Iraqi man walked down the street in the early morning.
His hands are sweating.
He see two soldiers guarding a government building.

The gunner asks his buddy was the man a ghost in the distance?
He put the bible down and tells him he is real.

The soldier looked at his bible.
Points his weapon at the man.
He raise his hand to halt the Iraqi Man.

The Iraqi man screams out his daughter name and Allah.
Runs toward the soldier.

The soldier aim his M-16 and shoot three rounds into the man chest.

The Iraqi man falls dead.
The soldier goes to him.
Fall and ask god to forgive him.

He open up and see the bomb and photos.
It still don't bring comfort to the soldier.

The soldier sit on his cot.
He hold pictures of a man's wife  with two children.
He wonder why he has to kill this man?

He should of been home tossing a football with his brother or something. 

He cries for the Iraqi he killed.
Old Sargent said he was a hero.
Those terrorist are just killers on the road.
Waiting for us to end their misery.
He bring his bible to his heart and tries to sleep.

The gunner wake him up.
He tells him we are on again tonight.


He puts the bible on the table.
Dresses  into battle gear and walk out of his tent.
He leave the bible tonight on the table.

He had bad dreams.
He dreams he was the killer on the road.

He would do his duty and go home.
He don't talk of God or Jesus anymore.
He just wishes for the blood to leave his hands.

The gunner smile.
He yelled maybe we can kill a few tonight.
His buddy smile and stare at the road.

                      Coyote

                                 

Author's Note

War leave no winner. Vietnam and Korea left scar for a generation of young men and woman. These Wars of today will be the scars for the next 60 years or more.

Reviews

[Angel's Lady]

Your war stories are so poignant to me...my friend over there, I wonder, how many men has he killed? Will those scars affect him when he's home with his wife and kids? I know they will, but will he realize it, or pass on the violence to those he loves....Great write, my friend.

[Pryde Foltz]

A turn of fate and we could have all been the killer on the road. There is no such thing as enemies only thoughts of enemies and the the situations that follow from those thoughts and that is what we call fate. A poignant write, Coyote. You left this reader with a lot.

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you Pryde. Too much killing, not enough voices for peace.

[K.]

This is really amazing Coyote. Oh, how I've missed your writing! I love the shifts in the soldier from the beginning of the poem to the end. Great job on such thick and detailed character development throughout such a short poem, it is very impressive. I love these three lines in comparison to the rest of the poem:
"He would do his duty and go home.
He don't talk of God or Jesus anymore.
He just wishes for the blood to leave his hands."

As someone who has interest in going into the military, and who has friends and relatives enlisted and fighting currently, this is a very significant and amazing story that you have decided to tell. There are a few grammatical errors, but great job.Great to be reading your writing again!

[Coyote Poetry]

I pray we know peace before you need to go to war. War teaches young people the wrong things. I understand we need to defend our borders. You can't save the world that doesn't want to be saved. Thank you for reading and the very good comment.

[K.]

"You can't save the world that doesn't want to be saved", great line. Always a pleasure to read your work!

[Alex Crow]

There are no winners in war, only sorrow in the broken families whose brave family member went and served his/her country. The imagery is amazing and so are the heart tearing emotion. This is beauty among sorrow.

[AK]

Wow! Amazing poem! So gently written, yet talking about something so harsh and violent, such smooth words yet bearing great power. Wonderful write that beautifully expresses your wise thoughts. Good day!

[Hayley]

You are completely right. The so-called point is mainly thought about in a generalized and idealized way. It is the principle on which we justify the violence. All for the people of governments, some with reason, some not. Is it worth the trauma, the PTSD, the average person fighting and living against another for those idealized principles?
I really like how you raise all these questions. As a Republican, it's hard to accept the facts when you are dealing with a real person, hearing real experiences, to be totally for a war. However, violence exists because we can never seem to come to agreements in words, understand one another, and put our competitiveness behind us. It's human nature, but it's so chilling. So hard.
Very good write, eye-opening.

[Leslie Philibert]

What I really admire about your writing is the way you reject violence, and not only that, but also the way you pack your work with truth.This is not only good poetry, it is fine anti-war journalism, professionally presented ( love the change of font !).
Excellent.

[Lina Grey]

Being very against war, I never could understand why people would submit themselves to such physical and psychological horror, but I do respect them for being so brave and standing up for their country, their beliefs, their home. War is a necessary aspect a life, sadly. Wonderful write. Thank you.

[hmm]

Wow, so deep and so very powerful,
I don't think i could imagine the scars,
It had to been horrific.
Thoughts of war make me sad.
I respect those men and women who have been through it.
They fought for our country, even if they didn't believe in what they were fighting for. right or wrong they went on. No time for pain,
Wow! Such an write!

[Shy Girl]

That is soo true of war and the after affects it continues to churn within those who made it back home. Wondering as we do over on this side..just doesn't ever seem to come close to what is felt, seen, heard and been partied to as many men and women have. This was a good write and hit me VERY close to home...almost too close for my piece of mind..good piece all the same though.. :)

[emmajoy]

Your talk of war is as fine as any published poet, John. You understand what war means, you know its horrors, you know the depth of friendships formed, you know how it smells, sounds, looks .. you know about its aftermath. You know almost too much. And whenever you write you try - in your wonderful way. to have people realise how evil war is for everyone involved, never mind what country or population.

Whilst competely echoing your opinions, may i add mine: since uni days when one thought and discussed more with both heart and mind: why, if war is such a good way of solving problems, do we have so many?