A
little bucket lying across the well,
Tumbled
on its weight and looking west,
The
moist soil beneath and uprooted grass,
There
was a man around here you can guess.
Oh
yes we can see a man of about forty and three,
Curled
and mudded in the sand behind the bush.
His
curly grey hair’s shining in fading light,
Whether
his life has also faded, is still there to see
Winds
are blowing with the song of the fall.
Soon
the cold winter will speak in the voice so hoarse.
Sun
seem tired after a day of hide and seek,
With
our long shadows we made a loud call.
We
saw the head rise with the pace of a lazy snail.
It
mumbled few words that no one can hear.
Ahoy
stranger we speak to you, one of us yelled,
Are
you hurt or drunk, how you came to vale.
The
stranger spoke with a voice of a hammer on nail,
Pausing
and starting then stopping when lost again.
I
am a soldier folks who fought your bloody war,
Now
I am banished tell me that I failed.
We
gave him some water as he tried to find his feet,
He
swerved around for a moment but then fell again in heap.
My
misery brought me here, we heard him grunting,
Chastened
with shame, for days I could not sleep.
I
had killed so many those bodies with no name,
Enemies
they were and for me all the same,
I
wanted to shoot and kill as many as I could
So
Proud and presumptuous of my growing fame.
We
stood still in awe as his cleared his throat.
His
face carried the marks of the wars he had fought
Then
there came a day when it all crumbled down,
Misery
came to me with the enemy I had caught.
It
was the space between us and them my
comfort zone,
When
its mere dummies made of flesh and bone,
My
bullets rammed them hard on my glory days,
But
for that pale little boy I caught I wish was never born.
Little
boy only in name, he shot three of us in war,
Left
alone he kept shooting, he wanted to kill many more.
With
the rage in his eyes and the blood all over
He
threatened, he fought, he screamed and he roared.
Out
of bullets he got caught, still looking eye to eye,
Fear
was not a word for him its pleasure to see enemy die.
Tie
him up and bring him here let’s see what he is made of,
So
said the Colonel sending the puff to the sky.
He
was tied and beaten so much that his body collapsed
But
he never asked for any mercy before his senses passed.
Colonel
stood up and asked me with an anguished face,
Put
him where he belongs, bury him in the waste.
I
dragged the boy with me to the bushes still can hear him breathe
The
soldier is there to follow the orders don’t let doubt to creep
Kill
me if you want old man a boy the age of your son,
Heard
you are a proud soldier but your bravery is finger deep.
So
he mumbled, the boy I was about to kill
He
laughed at me and said why I am waiting still,
You
never blinked when you killed my father
And
many more while shelling our village for thrill.
My
father was a farmer tending his field in sun,
Mother
was at home they never held a gun,
You
killed them both and made me an orphan at twelve
Made
me what I am today till death will I burn.
For
the years I had fought this bloody war.
I
never saw a human in enemy just a target to kill,
Boy’s
words screamed in my head as I stood to shoot
My
hand shook as I fought my demons long kept so far.
That
moment of weakness I dropped my guard,
You
can guess what happened next.
The
boy snatched my gun and killed my junior
And
killed two more before he was dead.
He
could have killed me too as I stood there in trance
He
made a choice to die instead leaving for his mother’s arms
Colonel
banished me from Unit blamed me for all those dead,
But
he sparing my life that day broke me in threads
So
here I am drunk and lost finding my reason to live,
When
I know I killed so many the sin could never shed.
The
old man dropped his head again in now dryer mud,
Go
home and leave me here, I will stay alive.
Many
have left the scene already and I stood up to leave,
Thinking
again about his story if his life mirrors his deeds.
Yesterday’s
I read in papers that the old man has died,
Today
I got a letter saying it’s my turn to shine .
