Bullet-Riddled Reverie

What is left of me,

a bullet ridden soul?

Once innocent, now stained

bathed in blood of a thousand beings.

Eerie silences blankets the azure sky.

***

Wait for it,

wait for it,

wait for it-

***

A piercing whistle,

BOOM,

BOOM,

BOOM.

***

Young screams echo through

my metal bird.

Rat-a-tat-tat

Kill or be killed,

survive or die.

***

Hunt, kill, survive,

hunt, kill, survive.

***

What is left of me?

My fellow Americans will have their freedom,

even as I am lost

in a fog of shrapnel.

*********************************************************************

I was inspired to write this poem after watching the Apple limited series “Masters of the Air.” It was during World War II, and it followed the heroic story of the Eighth Air Force, called the “Mighty Eighth.” The series took place while the Air Force was bombing Nazi-occupied Europe.

Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks produced this emotion and dramatic, heart-wrenching miniseries. They take you into not just the action but the mental and physical toll it takes on these young men fighting for freedom.

If you are interested in World War II stories, this is a show I would highly recommend it.