One Man's War

I didn’t see it coming. It landed by my ear. The loudest thing I ever heard, and now I cannot hear. And oh the silence scares me. I miss the sound of shells and bullets passing by my head. My eyes begin to well. The others are all lying arms and legs awry, I wish I could get out of here, can no-one hear my cry? And now I see them coming towards me through the mire, their lips are moving as in prayer but no, they do not smile. I don’t know what they’re saying. I see emblems on their shirts, their angry faces close to mine while I writhe here in the dirt. Their weapons are all pointing towards me as I lay in the debris of my fellows that died here on this day. I don’t know if I’m speaking, I can’t hear my own voice. I try to say I’m wounded and I didn’t have a choice They don’t seem to understand me, their language not the same. I’m scared misunderstanding will make me lose my brain. And then, as one, they’re fallen And lay there on my friends I lose all feeling, my eyes close And there my own war ends.