The Ballad of the scared man

A poem about a soldier.

 

The Ballad of the scared man

 

 

 

The soldier aims his riffle.

 

His cheeks glow red with the cold.

Dried Blood is splattered all over his uniform.

His boots are caked with mud.

The smell of wet grass and gunpowder engulf his senses.

His fingernails are long and dirty.

The soldier sucks in the cold morning air into his lungs.

He closes his tear stained left eye.

 

       The soldier squeezes the trigger.

 

Reviews

[Raven Starhawk]

I actually thought this was a tremendously well done piece. I love reading anything you write anyway so maybe I am just automatically in tune to say that this is brilliant but regardless it is ever so more true that you have a gift for weaving excellent poems.

[Mary C]

A wonderful journey through the realms of imagery. A splendid read.

[marielondon]

Perfect.

[Shane Blackheart]

So short but so powerful. One could only imagine what it feels like to have to kill another human being in war. You've portrayed this poor soldier's emotions well.

[Sunni Davis]

Very well written. A beautiful tribute to a noble fighter.

[POETIC VIXEN]

u are the truth and the ink and the pen......WORD is BOND....

[TawnyBlueStar]

this is a really good poem
Remembrance day is soon and this goes really well with the day
love it :)

[John Stussy]

You brilliantly captured the image of a soldier in action here. The ragged appearance, the calculated shooting, everything was perfect. Not to mention, the way you ended it is perfect, the rifle's report sounded in my head upon reading the line. Great work.

[Derek S.Keck]

This piece speaks to the quite sadness we all feel about human existence, capturing the internal hell of war. There is a real sadness emanating throughout the collective human experience. I just got done reading interviews from people who experienced the bombing of Hiroshima first hand; it brings a real cold feeling to the soul. I couldn't even imagine what that hell was really like.

[Kat Collins]

Very vivid image of a soldier's burden. Although I expected a ballad to be much longer. But the power of this poem lies in its brevity.

[Desert Dreamer]

Your words bring reality to the life of a soldier...and it isn't a good vision. Excellent poem!