Blitzkrieg

The letter came on a stormy day
Oddly appropriate for the occasion.
I was simply colored white, too innocent
For the contents that changed his life forever.

The days following were filled
With flurry's of packing,
Bouts of crying,
Concerned neighbors coming and knocking
With forced empathetic faces
That he just wanted to split in two
Because they weren't really there to feel bad for him.
They couldn't understand.
Wouldn't understand.
They were just there to be "good people"
And to get a chance to gawk
While they gave him half melted jell-o molds
For a sort of sympathy gift
That would just sit on the counter
And melt some more
Until finally someone got up the nerve to just throw it away.

Then came the day
When he kissed Maria goodbye.
He turned away quickly
So that she couldn't see the tears
That came unbidden.
He had to be strong
Needed to be strong
For both his and her sake.

He boarded the plane
That took him to a far-away place
Full of sweat and sand
And sun and blood
And fighting and guns
And Death,
Accompanied only by unfortunate people
Who received letters identical to his
and were dropped unceremoniously into this place
That they fondly called hell on earth.
A place that they were to designate home
Until either one side forfeited
Or the weapons ran out
Or everybody realized that the entire thing was stupid
And they all shook hands
And went home to their wives adn families happy.
But he could only hope for the latter
Because the land he was fighting for
Was filled with stubborn people
Who wouldn't give up no matter how many men died.

And so he sat there
Hating this place
And hating his country
And hating the other country
When the sirens rang
Announcing that he was to leave
And fight,
fight,
For a cause that he didn't believe in.

He wanted to stay there
And act like a stubborn, defiant child
Screaming "NO" at the top of his lungs
Until finally he got what he wanted
And was sent home on another plane
To his girlfriend
And his family
And his simple life where the world 'war'
Wasn't a part of his every day vocabulary
And everything was well and good and actually peaceful.
But of course, he couldn't.
Not when there was the immanent threat
Of the wonderful peace
That filled his vamilies lives
Being absolutely destroyed by the violent men
Who were the cause of this disaster.
The men who forced the innocent letters to be sent
That ruptured his peace
And the peace of countless others
And sent their worlds spiraling into something
That didn't even resemble reality.

He just couldn't let the same thing happen to them.
So wearily he picked up his gun
And utilitarian helmet,
Turned towards the distant gunfire
And joined the endless line of men.
Men with wives
And sons
And daughters,
all holding their heads and weapons high,
Marching towards what would most likely be
The end of life as they knew it.