(BANG)
A scurry of quick feet
Eyes wide
Heart racing
Jittery nerves
A deer falls.

(BANG)
A stern voice yells “Cover!”
A marine drops.

Lost
The baby deer, clear of danger
Watches the flat faced figures
As they drag his mother’s body away.

Their fallen brother lies on the ground
Too much “heat” to reach him
He screams in agony.
Confused
Despondent
Furious
The baby deer watches from a distance.

His screams pierce their hearts
Cutting their ears wide open
His screams turn to gurgling, slurred speech
Then to whispers
The loudest silence suddenly falls over the marines
Smothering the sounds of automatic weapons.


Crying out, the deer wonders alone.
Finding berries his mom used
To feed to him
He hurts in his heart.
He’s trapped in an endless void
Called life .
?

They reach his body
He’s gone
Pain stabs the platoon in the heart
They are all left in an empathetic state.

Hardened, by watching the poaching of his mother
The deer had to mature fast
He is not under the protection of his mother any more.

Sgt. Daniels has lost his best friend
His comrade
His brother
“I wish that bullet had my name on it “
Whispered Sgt. Daniels in a raspy shaky voice.

Lt. Ross’s final breathing place,
Kunar Province, Korangal Valley.


The deer remembers the fateful day
He lost his mother
The event replays in his head
Again, again, and again
Like it’s the only memory he has.

It was time.

The deer visits Akron, Ohio,
His mother’s grave site.

The funeral is comprised of people of all races, gender, ages
Lt. Ross was 19
He was valedictorian, quarterback
He was prom and homecoming king
His mother looks at his casket,
Looks up, shakes her head and asks “Why?”
If only I was in human form

I could explain the deer thinks
The orange vest
The flat faces
Their brimmed hats.

Sgt Daniels remembers
10-12 men wearing turbans
Rounds whizzing by his head
And his fallen comrades deadly screams.


The deer is furious
The deer is ready.

Sgt. Daniels is furious
Sgt. Daniels is ready.

I already know their fate.
It’s pretty pretentious.
As if they have to impress someone.
Stupid I think.


The deer is now a full grown buck.

The marine is now in his prime.

The deer grieves his single mother.

The marine grieves his teenage comrade.

The deer returns from his mating grounds.

The marine returns from his leave
He has begun drinking, smoking
To escape the pain
In the now blackened, cold, hard vessel
The thing he calls a heart.

The deer was once happy,
living with his mother
The deer is now overcome by rage.

The marine makes his decision.

The deer makes his decision.
The marines leaves his outpost
Alone, on edge.

The deer leaves the cover of his den
Exposed.

Animals and humans aren’t all that different.
They both have feelings.
They both love.
They both feel our judgment.

?
The deer spots those “flat-faces”.
The marine spots those “rats”
In their compound, he breaks in.

The deer slowly approaches them
He charges
He bites one on the neck
The taste of blood propels his rage.
The marine aims
Takes in a deep breath
He fires
Taking out seven Taliban.
The deer severely injures
Two of the four hunters.
The marine pulls the trigger
Clip empty
He looks up.
The deer is blinded by the thought of his mother
He pauses
He looks up.

(BANG)
A marine falls.

(BANG)
A deer falls.