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.

[serpent]

a heart wrenching write. no doubt that there is only destruction and not winners in war. The way mankind is heading toward its own end is a pityful sight.

[Zoe Jay]

This is VERY good. It's an absolutely compelling read. It's a very thoughtful poem about the moral dichotomies and unusual, intense, real life situations presented by warfare. Both main characters are portrayed very sensitively and we can find something to like, and to dislike, in both characters. You very cleverly show how similar, and yet how different, your protagonists are. They very neatly encapsulate and personify different views and arguments for and against warfare. The two part structure is very effective for enhancing this idea. The shape of the poem reflects and highlights the content. Very interesting discussion of the different interpretations of good, bad, right, wrong, and Godliness.

The final line is really powerful and leaves the reader feeling physically empty and desolate.

[The Rock And Roll Cowbo..]

It is hard to imagine being in their shoes, the effects of war on a man can be devastating, especially when they are killing at 19... a very dramatic piece.
My dad was in the Korean War.

[Allison]

Wow that was deep. It was really good to see things from the suicide bombers perspective and the soldiers. A few grammar errors. I would suggest putting it in past tense. Good write!! True story?

[Alicia Schroeder]

I'm at a loss for words, great peice

[Kamala]

A few grammar mistakes but besides this it is a very powerful and moving piece. It explains the life of the soldiers in the Iraq war fighting to save innocent lives very well.

[al25]

Your poem is great. It annoyed me how the soldiers say maybe we kill a few tonight as if killing someone is a joke or something to do for sport. Anyway this was written kind of like a joournal worked well for you. Good job.

[DamienHino]

Amazing! It played like a movie in my head and I felt the guilt the man felt from killing the terrorist although he was just a bad guy, he is still just a man, may be ignorant and have different customs and such but still a man with a family. Touching story coyote great job.

[JC]

very real story and view of both sides, not everyone realizes the immensity of war, its no tv show or movie and this captures it well.

[PadfootBlack]

Wow. This is powerful. Great write, my friend. I can't imagine how conflicting it is for a christian to be a soldier, and we often forget that the "enemy" also have souls, and lives, and families. Sometimes... I wish we all would just realize... we're all human. We have more in common than we realize.