Holiday

War is Hell ... But, is Hell really Hell?

 

The day bright, wholesome, fragrant.

Her dress an infusion of blue, white, flowers.

The park welcoming "

A haven among the Towers.

 

We sit on the grass,

Soaking in the early spring day "

Lovers innocent caress, a kiss, sparks.

Both lost in the happy foray.

 

There is no warning, no signal.

The city hums in its usual way.

Cars pass by in the distance.

People walk by, as we lay.

 

The only sign of something wrong,

The whine of a prop engine, full throttle.

We look up -

Onto the ground drops the bottle.

The plane is low,

Barely above the tallest building,

Underbelly opened, mawing,

The first explosions in the distance.

 

Looking towards the bay,

The sky littered with dots uncountable.

Sirens wail. Screams. Panic.

We run. Fear. Uncontrollable.

 

Who. Where. Why.

The thoughts most far from my mind.

Insidious waves of solid air.

Fire. Shrapnel. Danger of all kind.

The tranquil park "

A labyrinth of death.

The shining towers -

A screeching, tinkling song of death.

The drone of the planes,

Drowned only by the cacophonous symphony

Of the horror on the plain.

 

To this day, I still know not what happened.

Hand in hand, we ran.

Hand in hand, I wanted to be.

The rending void of the dark filled me.

The sudden silence of her scream killed me.

My life torn by the scree.

 

“War!” the radio blared the following day.

“Death!” the politician screamed.

The world was ended. I could not stay.

But the hell of life, would not release.

 

A year later, mended. Whole.

I marched with my brothers.

I shot without mercy. Relishing the life I stole.

I ripped. I murdered.

There was no prisoner.

It was the drone, the insistent drone -

That called me to her.

Denied by the heavens, my vengeance could not condone -

An angel - white, blue, flowery "

Sad and distant.

Loved and radiant.

The representative of the Reaper -

Took me to my Keeper.

The parting " bitter, remorseful.

Her pain worse than mine,

To carry her love,

Away for all time.

 

Pain and flesh, one and the same.

Joy and death, yearned and denied.

The sadistic mind cannot tame,

That Hell, Lucifer’s Paradise,

The Absence of God’s Light,

Is a holiday to her absence.

Author's Note

I tend to like the bitter irony of the difference between Heaven and Hell

Reviews

[MuSe Ampoule]

Great job on this one! And in time for a Pearl Harbor Day... Definitly draws people in and gives a human touch to what most only remember in history books.

[Truman S. Booth]

A strong piece. It took me a moment to realize she died... but it was no fault of yours. My mind is being increasingly uncooperative.

I believe that Heaven and Hell are states of mind. This poem excellently portrays that. Well done.

[Cherrie Palmer]

Wonderful piece about love war and death my favorite line was ...Her pain worse than mine, To carry her love, Away for all time...