I Wonder

My hands that worked in

This lovely earthly garden,

And for my transgressions,

Palm to palm, often begged

To receive your pardon; and

My feet that often stumbled

Among the ruins of dreams

Whose castles in the air I built;

And my eyes that were a mirror

To heaven, and to its

Celestial procession; and

My heart, this garden of

Many a wondrous flower

That gave me simple joys

In the day, and their thought

More in the midnight hour --

All these, and more, you took

To see how much they are worth

Compared to your slogans and

To your proud, age-old flag.

I admit, I had no cause to brag, 

But, were they really worth

Less than your colorful rag?

These are things I wonder

Now that I died a soldier’s death,

And I’m six feet under.

Reviews

[John the Baptist]

What we see here are the posthumous words of a soldier killed in action. The addressees are those "patriots" who carry nations into wars with their chauvinistic politics and all that goes with them. The soldier was previously a peaceful person who was just trying to do his best in life. Sadly, these are the ones who pay the ultimate price for the ambitions of the warmongers. By the latest estimate, there are a hundred thousand Russians who could testify to the truth of this work.

[Laz K.]

Paraphrasing and summarizing are skills taught in English classes. You've done an amazing job here, for which you'd receive the highest grade. Jokes aside, you're right: the people that declare war are never the ones that lay down their lives in battle. Thank you for reading and commenting; it's always a joy and an honor to exchange thoughts with you.

[Gypsy Warrior Queen]

I wonder if most of us are not soldiers?.. There are so many that battle life..peoples born under strife....residing under cultural flags...even the solitude of difference and the planting gardens of self make us soldier under worn torn flags... even when they are invisible to the viewer. I think this piece portrays more than soldiering, more than war, and more than respect or worth. I think it asks for peace, soundness, and resolve at "the end". Just what I see...Great thinker piece!

[Dave Brown]

I often wonder if there is a more concrete method of mankind displaying his lack of humanity