A Soldier's Ponderings Poem by Gregory Huyette

Here I am defending a place
I never heard of before.
Enemies lurk everywhere I see
In this ever worsening war.
Conflict and death from tribal strife
Have prevailed for thousands of years.
Yet I’m here offering my life
To reverse this history of tears.
Blood soaks the earth; smoke chokes the air.
My mind screams as I see
Pieces of bodies strewn everywhere
That will always be a part of me.
I kill people who live here;
They try to annihilate me.
I destroy their cities… then cheer.
Is this how I set them free?
I love my home; it’s a wonderful land.
There I’ve felt safe and free.
Here I’m afraid and don’t understand
What my leaders expect of me.
Please explain the reason I’m here.
How do I tell enemy from friend?
Each day victory seems less near.
When will all this madness end?
If absent without leave, I’ll be an outlaw
Who’ll not deserve to be free.
As my comrades expire, a conclusion I draw…
My leaders have gone AWOL on me.