Hero of War

With my men holding our flag high, we storm a school and hold the children captive, handling them like enemy soldiers they are not, as they cry and scream, some probably living with trauma for the rest of their lives “I am a hero of war!’’ Is that what my countrymen think of me? As smoke of explosions and burning cities fills the air, we indiscriminately shoot on whoever is coming close to us, in the end realizing that we have shot mostly innocent civilians who have nothing to do with the war, after the smoke has partially cleared out in the air As I cautiously walk ahead to ensure that all the enemy soldiers are dead, my boots feel a bump; a hand of a woman holding a white flag for peace, as white as snow, with her clothes drenched in blood “I am a hero of war!” Is that what my countrymen think of me? Before the sun sets, my men and I sit around a bonfire and plan our next move and next attack on the enemy, without realizing that the enemy is war, brought about by hatred by people who we call leaders “I am a hero of war!” Is that what my countrymen think of me? Name: Teddy Kimathi Contest Name: The Poet III