Writer: Asish Sridhar
Editor: Ananya Athaiya
Illustrator: Ananya Prabhakar
An evolution of a soldier's faith
Content warning: Blood, violence, guns
The mauser in his hand trembled,
warm blood dripped off his black glove.
The troops reassembled,
he prayed for mercy from the Lord above.
He raises his hand, together, a battle cry,
the soldiers were willing to sacrifice their goodbyes.
Death, at the millisecond of doubt.
They will slay the evil, the root of their suffering,
genocidal for the faith in revival.
A revival of pure, a revival of good,
unaware of the roots of the cause.
Of blind faith,
away from accountability, any acceptance of responsibility.
To do as they should,
they should do as told.
To do what is right,
they have to fight!
They run in blind over the corpses,
an eye for an eye, a soldier for a soldier.
They are victorious.
The survivors are rallied, they bear the mark of evil.
They are taken to the firing grounds.
But they do not fight, the mother and son cry,
for the family to whom they could not say their goodbyes.
He slowly loads his rounds,
the wailing cuts through the air,
As tears fall into the cracks,
the ground bleeds fresh,
ready to consume them.
Gun in hand, his finger an inch from the trigger,
“FIRE!” the general commands, but he flinches,
as he sees the puddle of tears,
he finds that his mind clears.
He refused to kill innocents in a war that was not his.
Poundwise but pennyfoolish.
Pawns in a bigger game.
Fatherless, husbandless, brotherless, penniless
A decision which may go in vain.
A family to whom he will bring shame.
A decision which brings him great pain.
A decision for which he will be called insane.
He takes a leap of faith and finds a bed of roses, except it's blood red and full of thorns.
There lies his grave decorated with flowers,
for the lives he could save and for the present which is now ours.
A soul which seeks the truth sparks a blazing fire,
a soul which may be able to reach higher
to join The Father.
( Inspired by the true story of Otto Schimek)
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