For Holy Russia

A poem

The Russian dawn reaches out
And high in the black towers we watch
Today we will die, for Holy Russia
For Holy Russia

Yes, the Russian sky goes on forever
Watchtowers and barbed wire
Guns in our hands and hearts in our chests
For Holy Russia

Cold now seeps through my bones
The soldiers are miles before us
Outlined black on the snowy ground
For Holy Russia

Take aim my friends, careful where you fire
See the man align in your sights
Blood spatters from his body
For Holy Russia

Recoil, reload, fire again
My shoulders are aching,
My coat is too heavy, can I take it off?
For Holy Russia

The air is cold, colder without my coat
It lies there crumpled and wet
Fire again, watch the blood burst from his chest
For Holy Russia

Artillery screams as I run
I left my coat in the mud
I run through the snow towards gray men
For Holy Russia

Are my friends calling for me?
Why do they call me back?
I feel so free here in the wide open snow
For Holy Russia

The men in gray are beckoning with guns
Smiling and laughing I greet them
As bullets whistle by me
For Holy Russia

I left my coat behind
I feel the metal pierce me through
So I fall, a smile on my face
For Holy Russia

Author's Note

I wrote this listening to 'Roads to Moscow' over and over again... All comments are greatly appreciated!

Reviews

[Austin H.]

Very nice imagery. I could really feel the unnamed soldier as he went through his brief stint of patriotism to death. I wasn't sure of the time it was taking place in. I'm assuming WWI era, due to the barbed wire and Holy Russia. Maybe Russo-Japanese war. I haven't heard "Roads to Moscow" though, so that might explain my confusion.

Other than that, the first stanza was the only awkward one to me. The use of "For Holy Russia" right after "For Holy Russia" seem out of line with the rest of the rhythm used.