hawk chronicles #11…

copyright cwmartin 2011

you adorn
your battle gear
with my likeness
iconic bravery
before the siege
but when
the ribbons of red
rush from veins
you turn away
from what
you do not
want to see
but understand this
i kill
to survive
you kill
to contrive justice
i kill
to feed
my young
you kill
to feed
your greed
i kill
to protect
my young
you kill
with
your young

Morituri te salutamus…

Challenge Photo From Jade

beneath these still
dark waters
I rest
in the ancestral clay
a fallen soul
a warrior
for a just cause
a cause
long forgotten
like all
just causes
wrapped in heroic flags
of country
or
religion
my soul
like the thousands
before
and
after
have been reduced
to a few pages
in a history book
in some
i am a hero
others cast me
as a devil
but i was
just a man
brought here
on swift currents
once i was struck
by a child’s arrow
a child i showed mercy
from my blade
but as I forged the stream
his arrow pierced my back
into my heart
killing me without honor
for he
felt
just

This poem represents my first response to  the second challenge series between Jade and I.  As you may recall, each poet provides the other with a series of photos, visual prompts,  from which the poet is to write a poem.  Jade has written her first response which can be found here.  Yes…I know my Latin was bad, but haven’t used it since high school and trust me that was a long time ago.

who shall stare last…

a dark sweaty form
staring into the desert sun
from behind an oasis blind
stars and stripes
on his shoulder
symbol of freedom
waiting
fearing
killing
       burst of light
penetrating metal
       third of an ounces 
       less than 2.3 seconds
and
       another symbol of freedom
is stared at
by the desert
in life’s
only
true
freedom