Echo Tango

 

 

Darkness drapes his body like a flag

as he drifts between sandbars of sleep,

his head nestled on a rucksack bag,

his rifle ready and in his keep.

 

He is a stranger in a strange land

of ancient tongues, conviction, and stone

whose devotion warms the desert sand

and is recited in blood and bone.

 

He tows the weight of hope in his heart

like the fragments of a fallen star,

dreaming of those from whom he’s apart,

who are very near; and yet, so far.

 

A world of peace blossoms in his head

between the shoulders of day and night.

He raises the crosses of the dead

who bit the bullet and shattered light.

 

The wave of the brave is in his hair

spilling beyond the Caspian Sea

mingling with dust and light as air

as whispers of wind that set it free.

 

He sleeps with Shula beneath the sky

nestled against the curve of her spine,

with dreams of home in back of his eye

pressed like grapes into vessels of wine.

 

Darkness drapes his body like a flag,

like the flag that will drape his coffin,

as one more dream in a body bag

dies the death that approaches often.

Author's Note

Sleeping at Shula - U.S. Soldier Sgt David Williams of 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment rests before his next shift at the newly stood up joint security station in Shula, Iraq, June 8, 2008. Williams and his unit are installing barriers throughout the city. Photographer: Joint Combat Camera Center Iraq.

Reviews

[Eric]

As I expected, more of your work is outstanding, and with this piece I can certainly relate to on a personal level. The struggles of a warrior are deep, and so often, because of the nature of profession, we make walls to keep in the fear, anger, anxiety, and longing for home. It's a bottled up concoction that slowly erodes us if we don't have the support of friends and family back home.

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Thank you, Eric, most of all for your service. It can't be said enough. Thank you a thousand times over. God bless you and your family and every single one of your brothers and sisters in service. No one does more to preserve our freedoms.

[Gleb Zavlanov]

A truly powerful, plaintive, yet gorgeous peace. I felt the anxiety and the longing of these soldiers as I soaked in your beautiful, finely crafted poetry. It's a pity many young men are forced to fight, to kill, to die, and to see horrors no one has ever witnessed, while longing to see their families once again. War is truly terrible, especially for what it can do to people.

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Thank you, Gleb. This is a personal favorite of mine. My frustration comes from the senselessness of it all. I have nothing but love and respect for our military. I just hate the government which chooses to use our service men and women as pawns for political gain, when their lives are in danger.

If they are going to be put in harms way, they should be allowed to go in, get the job done, and get the hell out.

[Gleb Zavlanov]

Very true. Our government is becoming more corrupt and doesn't care much for the lives of these brave souls. G-d bless these soldiers who are willing to sacrifice themselves to fight and protect their families.

[Neville]

A most touching and very powerful write indeed.. All Good Things, N

[emmajoy]

'A world of peace blossoms in his head ~ between the shoulders of day and night. ~ He raises the crosses of the dead ~ who bit the bullet and shattered light.'

Dreams are often thought to be life enacting its fears, its darkness .. but surely they're also an escape as the sleeper sighs into a place where he or she can't be touched, even for seconds. This is such a beautifully sad, or sadly beautiful piece of writing.. you've altered a battle zone into a haven, or what should be, could be .. until the dream becomes an endless nightmare.

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Thank you so much, Emma, for reading and leaving your review. I really appreciate your feedback.

[emmajoy]

You're more than welcome, your writing is superb.

Wishing you all you wish yourself for Christmas and the future. x

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

What a beautiful ode... I've often mused about what soldiers dream, as it is such a foriegn concept to me to even expect that someone in such a situation would have the peace to dream. I think you are right, though...soldiers probably dream of peace even when their rifles are at the ready. Strong story...haunting imagery.

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Thanks, Sarah. Isn't it quite the irony? We enjoy our freedoms because of soldiers like this one who fight for freedom; and in order to obtain that freedom, blood must always be shed. We are very fortunate in this country to enjoy the freedoms that we have (or at least the illusions of), but I honestly don't know for how much longer that will be. It seems like freedom breeds complacency, which leads inevitably back into bondage. I really pray that doesn't happen to this nation.