Monday, October 16, 2006

a different perspective.

the battle rages and the soldiers fight. grim in thier determination to win and to kill and to come out alive at the other end.
my job is to make them continue.
i am thier father, thier mother, thier coach, thier confidant, thier brother, thier mentor, thier betrayer, thier general.
i will kill them.
most of them will die because i put them in harm`s way.
this is the way of war.
we will laugh and revel in our victories. this chases away the fear of death and carnage and the screams of men who`s life ebbs out into the dirt.
i talk only with the living of course. for the dead it is simpler.
for the dead it is quiet and peaceful and easy.
for these living men i am thier last grip on everything that they hold dear. thier home, thier mothers and fathers, thier brothers and sisters,thier lovers, thier homes and thier dreams of a life after this.......well, before this.
the battle becomes a familiar playground of discipline and technique and teamwork. the ritual absorbs the fear and allows the killing machine to surge forward to the prey. sharp, hot and deadly.

the real horror must be kept from these men. the real horror is unknown and unspoken. it is the horror of the battle they must enjoin when and if they return to thier dream life of peace in a different place. a place that doesn`t exist any more. it never really did. it is an illusion created by politicians and corporations. a rest between wars.

i am thier general. i have the loneliest job in the world.

i am lonely in the knowledge that these men will never go home to a life of peace. the battle they will return to will be one of a daily death from all quarters. from all those who they held dear. for these are the enemy now. they will know that these men now know the truth about all that we surround ourselves with in peace time, and the last thing they want is to be reminded that life is short, brutish and hard.

so if i seem tired to you, or disagreeable at times, just remember........what i have been asked to do.

No comments: