Christmas in Baghdad

Christmas in Baghdad

A Poem by Fegger
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Is this the place where garland grows,

Among the olive branches low?

Splattered, cindered, clay abode,

Am I so alien?

Encircled those, in khaki drab;

Paying homage to the bags;

Which hold remains of brave, young lads;

Will I feel again?

 

Surrounded, chains of un-lit lights,

Which only shine in day, not nights;

Illumination betrays the plights,

Should we become aglow.

A tree of polypropylene,

Adorns the tower, so serene;

A branch of steel hid in-between,

That only gunner knows.

 

The air of diesel, not of Myrrh,

As pre-fab dwellings start to stir,

Indifferent as they observe,

Fading of the Star.

A failed attempt at lone ‘SandMan’

Adorned with boots, bayonet in hand,

Iraqi winds displace his stand,

Re-formed in Kandahar.

 

T’was yesterday, on Christmas Eve;

A day ahead of promised leave,

When Paul, Eric, Mark and Steve,

Took leisurely patrol.

In Tikrit, where he was born,

Some sixty years before this ‘Storm’,

They’d set-out on this early morn.

Assessing evening’s toll.

 

Among the buildings, scattered ruins;

Charred men--shadows, on the dunes;

From temples soar cremated plumes;

One hour had gone by.

In the distance, beyond the spire,

Come ‘reports’ of skirmish fire,

Incessant screaming of the dire;

Then screams dissolve to cries.

 

Approach, inside a city square,

Where once a fountain teemed, right there,

Smoldering flesh, low burning hair;

A family splayed together.

Rank and putrid pieces strewn,

Mother’s face, shrapnel-hewn;

Attending Allah far too soon--

All their hands were tethered.

 

Domestic dogs, now on their own,

Fight for human flesh and bone;

Such holy image sets the tone,

As chorus strikes ‘Jihad’.

Eric stumbles, exploded knee,

Bearing witness to comrades, three,

Souls reclaimed near instantly;

Christmas in Baghdad.

 

Is this the place where garland grows;

Among the olive branches low?

How I miss New England snow,

This Christmas in Baghdad.

© 2010 Fegger


Author's Note

Fegger
Copyright 2010, Fegger

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Reviews

breath-taking. the flow and rhymes are very well established. I was almost brought to tears by this, rarely can writing give me the imagery to do that. very very well done

Posted 13 Years Ago


Tears. Simply tears.

Posted 13 Years Ago


Oh, my. This is amazing! Great rhyming, figurative language, and imagery. I love this poem, it really was great.

Posted 13 Years Ago



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1296 Views
43 Reviews
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Shelved in 4 Libraries
Added on December 8, 2010
Last Updated on December 9, 2010
Tags: war, Iraq, Afghanistan, marines

Author

Fegger
Fegger

CT



About
Published poet, songwriter, author and occasional humorist. "If I were lost, I wouldn’t deny it. Quite frankly, I’d embrace the fear in a dramatic and tortuous event until the child spo.. more..

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