Korea

He said, “Yes, I flew a fighter plane over the hills, and the people 
were running, they were just people, they were villagers, not soldiers, 
they were running away,”

and a tear came to his eye,  and it looked like a napalm-rain ,
as he dabbed  away the guilt and regret; 
because he flew a fighter  plane over the hills, and the people 
were running, running away;

but his rain caught them,  cindered  them;  and they 
weren’t soldiers, they were just people running away, 
granddads, mothers, babies,  aunts;  
and they were  all running, running, running - away

then he flew his plane home, over the hills, on to the deck,
 in to the mess, and ate the food and drank some coffee,  and 
watched TV;

and they fuelled, and bombed him up, and he flew 
again, over the hills, over the hills, far away, far away,
passing over the black-scorched earth, the granddads 
and mothers the babies and aunts and his tears dropped
to the cockpit floor, the cockpit door, and the flames told
him to jump out quick, before they licked;

and when they found him surrounded by silk, they took him 
back to the deck; and he watched TV and rested, and watched 
the news, of people running, running, running away;
but they didn’t show the  granddads , mothers, babies and aunts;

his grim, sycophants.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2015

Poem

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Breidenthal Avatar
March 16, 2015 at 4:18 AM
You write as if caught off guard by a memory, a snippet of the past written quite powerfully. It also is written like a good story too; quite a fascinating poem to have the pleasure of reading. The last lines are so so powerful...Always, Laura
Wigley Avatar
March 2, 2015 at 7:39 AM
Powerful, terrific poetry, Peter 'The bridges at Toko-ri' in versewith a killer ending. Very moved. Viv #7
Holmes Avatar
March 2, 2015 at 8:09 AM
Thank you again Viv...yes a terrific film!....Peter
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