The Last March of the Piss Ants

Walking through the guarded gate and onto my children’s school grounds, the impact of the 80mm and 120mm mortars crashing to earth caused me to pause. When you couple this with the repetitive thrumming of the 50 caliber machine gun and the acoustics on the hill top, you feel as if you’re in a combat zone. The deep reverberating pulses that the blast of the weaponry left in my chest, the slight ringing in my ears, the un-worldly feeling that something was going to land near me, gave me that very realistic feeling. Yet the children ran to and fro, laughing, playing; seeming oblivious to the horror that those sounds bring to our enemies. I am not sure if they even hear them, even think of them; are even aware of the violence of the world around them. To them and the other family members of this military community, they hear the sound of freedom. They hear the impact of dominance in a world where, (to them) they believe our nation cannot, will not experience defeat. Each and every impact is knowledge that their loved ones, (their Soldiers) the fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers will live in absolution of the sin that they have or will in the future commit in their country’s name. Thus leaving the arguable question out on the table, is it a sin? Will they go to hell? It is the disobedience of one of the commandments! Yet without hesitation we will pull the trigger and thank god that we live to see our loved ones again. To that man or woman who walks onto their children’s school ground, unguarded. To the children who do not run to and fro, frolicking, laughing, and playing; to all who hear the impact of a mortar or the repetitive thrumming of the 50 cal. Where the acoustics are resounding off the cement buildings of your home and the laughter turns to horror, the screams turn to nightmare; where going to school is a threat to life. I am sorry, so sorry that the world sees even one human, one child, lover, mother, father, sister, or brother; I am sorry they see us as so insignificant as to place you/us in harm’s way. I apologize that they/we lift foot to step upon the masses. Be it a terrorist, a misguided bomb, or the rage of a stressed out soldier who takes innocent life because they believe it is right. We are all significant, we are relevant and to all… Should peace ever come at last…? I pray it lasts until our very last march…