Men Marching | Teen Ink

Men Marching MAG

By Anonymous

     There is a ringing around me that is deafening. It offers only the hint of a roar and moves with my motions. It is fluid and consuming in its sanctity. Like the beat of a tribal drum it grows steadier and more confident with each pound; in its magnitude I imagine it growing, my personal symphony of one note. It is calling, beckoning me. It is beautiful; I am in love. Every moment that I am not with it is wasted. Perhaps it will kill me. The sound is twisted and contorted in the half moonlight. It echoes down the wasted streets alone, howling for a partner. I beg to stop it.

It is calling the boys from their homes, from their wives, sisters, children. It begs of them, contorts them into wooden toy soldiers, prancing about the alleyways unafraid at night. Its sound possesses their grandeur, shapes it into bravery, into patriotism. Its hypnosis has become overwhelming and all memories of past loves, women, children have fled their minds.

Now they are men.

The hundreds of them line the sidewalks, the gutters, the streets. They are marching, marching, marching blindly, each in love with the soft, steady ringing of the bell. It is taunting them, pleading with them, calling them, manipulating. It lies. Are they in love with its sound or with its pure nobility? Do they believe that it loves them back? All questions have ceased to matter. They are marching.

One. Two. One. Two. One. Two. This is for the greater good. I am one in a thousand now, a thousand men who will better their country. Minds are beginning to shut. Chop off their fingers. Cut out their tongues. Sew shut their mouths. Gouge out their eyes. Let them only hear.

We do not see where we are marching now, but this does not matter. The only thing is that we will march. He is two feet behind me; I am two feet behind the next man. (Have we ceased to be men? We do not think anymore. We only march.)

This is for chivalry. This is for the perfect race. This is for society. We will be better than our fathers, our sons greater than us. We will evolve and reproduce as the bell regulates. We will not speak of our prides. We will not breathe in seduction. We will not touch our love. We are no longer a part of mankind; the bell does not toll for thee. It tolls for us. It screams and writhes and twists within our souls, until they no longer remain to live but remain only to exist.

Our heartbeats have become the bell’s steady ringing.



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This article has 10 comments.


i love this !

This is so realistic!

on Jul. 29 2013 at 1:12 pm
SavannaCumbee SILVER, Hanahan, South Carolina
8 articles 0 photos 10 comments

Favorite Quote:
"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on."












-Robert Frost

Loved the way you wrote the story. The poetic voice you used made the harshness of the war aspect of the story sound soft and beautiful. The only thing that bothered me was the fact that it was too vauge. You didn't bring too many details into the plot, which didn't draw me into the story as much. Maybe if you explained the characters or the situation through actions instead of narrating what's going on, then it might help the story be more clear and exciting. But other than that, it was really good!

on Jan. 18 2013 at 9:30 am
In_Love_with_Writing GOLD, Easton, Pennsylvania
12 articles 0 photos 389 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Phillipians 4:13

Not bad of a story. Nice job! I liked it. Can you comment and rate some of my work? I would really appreciate it if you took the time to do so. :) Thanks!

on Apr. 26 2012 at 7:23 pm
elarebadaxe SILVER, Portage, Michigan
7 articles 1 photo 32 comments

Favorite Quote:
OCCUPY MORDOR: because one ring shouldn't be allowed to rule them all.

"...the bell does not toll for thee.  It tolls for us."  I love that part:) Great work!

on Oct. 11 2011 at 11:54 pm
Anonymous_7 SILVER, Branson, Missouri
6 articles 0 photos 118 comments

Favorite Quote:
-The only time you can get away with murder is when writing a book!

ok...this was great! You did an excellent job. I really like the fourth paragraph: one.two.one.two....very discriptive, yet simple!       Would you mind reading my work and commenting/rating it? Thanks!

on Feb. 25 2011 at 7:16 am
CrazyKid56 BRONZE, Fredericksburg, Virginia
3 articles 0 photos 20 comments
I like the way this was written, it's great and descriptive. And yeah I'm pretty sure that the author was talking about the Nazi's becuase of the whole perfect race thing. The Nazi's thought the Aryans (Blonde hair, Blue eyes) were superior to all. Anyway, Keep writing!!

on Jan. 20 2011 at 12:07 pm
PrettyPurplePen, Axson, Georgia
0 articles 0 photos 8 comments
THRILLING! What are they marching towards? Who are the men? Omgosh write more!!!! Question: Are they Nazis?....

bryant #24 said...
on Mar. 12 2010 at 1:25 pm
I think it was very well written. It looks and sounds like you put a lot of though into the work.

on Jan. 23 2010 at 1:10 pm
flare556 BRONZE, Fultonville, New York
2 articles 0 photos 14 comments

Favorite Quote:
I like pie!

Very good, I liked how creative it is. Keep up the good work! XD