In a Soldier's Hand | Teen Ink

In a Soldier's Hand MAG

By Anonymous

I sit cold and cruel
in the hand of the enemy
words disintegrate to dust
the harsh dirt below your feet
cries aloud, sodden with the burden you
force me to carry because
I am the enemy,
or so you say.

made to succumb to others’ bidding,
I feel nothing and aim: hitting
while they still look green and plastic, fake
like the toys you used to play with in Grandpa’s
living room, before you realized
the price of carrying your flag
so high.

but go ahead, lift it higher
nobody will notice the bloody footsteps
imprinted across the stripes.
you will only notice your own trail of loss
as I extinguish nights you could have had
beneath a star-studded sky, holding the hand
of a lover,

you formed me from lifeless steel
and carry me to do the work
no one else wants on their hands,
justifying it with common causes and cures
all the while saying I’m evil
I AM
a murderer.
but you know and I know
it is not my will; it is yours.

lay me down now, lay me down.
what are you playing at?
forget the squabble come too far
you must know brutality draws more
and more
until there is nothing else
but lay me down and
you could still have that night,
beneath a star-studded sky, holding the hand
of a lover.

and that person of green and plastic
you see across the barren landscape
lays me down too,
while his mother draws a breath of relief as she
hears his voice on the other end of the telephone,
“It’s over. It’s done. I’m coming home.”



Similar Articles

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 35 comments.


Andrnick said...
on Dec. 10 2009 at 5:45 pm
Wow,

This is a good piece of writing but leaves the reader breathless in thought. (Thought-Provoking writing)

kameron imam said...
on Oct. 27 2009 at 11:03 am
wow this peice of writing is amazing!! i love how people can write toaching poems like this one. my brother was sent to iraq so i love this writing

Jpher said...
on Jul. 13 2009 at 1:38 pm
This was really good work. My father is a U.S.Marine and is over seas in Afganhistan so i thought this work was really nice. As a writer myself, i thank you for saying what we all feel but can't say. great job.

jmc.13 said...
on Feb. 23 2009 at 9:10 pm
jmc.13, Dobbs Ferry, New York
0 articles 0 photos 58 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I'd rather regret what I did than what I didn't do."

This was great. Your wording is phenomenal, and I love how you organized the stanzas.

FANTASTIC!

on Feb. 18 2009 at 10:54 pm
xXsmileXx PLATINUM, St. Louis, Missouri
34 articles 0 photos 265 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Your dreams only become intangible when you stop reaching" ~me ;)

That was really REALLY good. I couldn't believe how lost i got in the words! keep it up!

on Feb. 17 2009 at 8:53 pm
[ana]stasia! BRONZE, Bethel, Alaska
3 articles 0 photos 2 comments
this is so sad, yet so true i feel like i was actually there, thats how wonderfully amazing your writing is :] you paint a vivid picture for everyone

on Jan. 22 2009 at 7:40 pm
Your a wonderful writer.

keep it up

|~KrIs~| said...
on Jan. 16 2009 at 12:53 am
That wasreally good. I loved it.

tweedle dee said...
on Dec. 18 2008 at 2:10 pm
this broke my heart. wonderful work, keep writing!

Fisseletten said...
on Dec. 18 2008 at 7:28 am
OMFG... This is so great! i love this!

maemae said...
on Dec. 15 2008 at 8:06 am
this is heart breaking. amazing job. never stop writing this.

on Dec. 2 2008 at 5:21 pm
OMG!! i love it!its awesomeness! wow great!

on Dec. 2 2008 at 4:28 pm
i loove this one i have never liked one of this before but i do this one i have heard a million stories but none of them compare to this

Gregoa4 said...
on Dec. 1 2008 at 1:56 pm
It is so cool and it uses very good vocabulary, sentence structure, and good vivid details. The author uses this to pull you farther in the story. I loved this article, it was very well structured and it has very well sufisticated facts, opinions, and personal exsperiences.

magz0525 said...
on Nov. 24 2008 at 7:28 pm
WOW!! GREAT!!!!! really this is amazing!!1 you really got into their heads!!!!! wow!!