Senseless Violence

The sound of gunshots pierced my ears-

Jarred me

I was permanently sleepless as long

As this cruel rhythm sounded incessantly

Through this wasteland of bodies

Piled carelessly about me

As I near my death, 

I prayed to God for mercy

While others prayed for the deaths of the supposed enemy...

One cries aloud:
"Oh God, I beseech you to spare me...love me.."

Another screams aloud for the courage to 

Blow their enemy to smithereens...

Another solider with two fatal wounds regretfully 

Prays to no one

He only fantasizes one last time 

About that wife that he might never see again

Why were we sent here?
From the age of two, I was bred

On the notion of warfare

Being the epitome of the glorified man

Wouldn't Jesus be proud that I killed countless people
Without any discretion or any reflection

Upon their individual depth?

I believed blindly in this violent purpose for myself

I convinced myself that they were the enemy-

Kill, or be Killed-
That was really the edict of this land

My commander instructed me that this was God 's work-

Except, that holy book

Vaguely stated that murder was wrong
I was deluded by new theology of course

Spoken in the gruff sincerity of God's elect

As my comrades around me slowly bleed to death,

I could only proclaim:

"Go to hell, God!"

God was probably already there

-Condemned by his own followers to perdition

How could anyone sent
Into the blistering nightmare of war

Of war clutch such contradictory truths?
Was this it? I had to blindly believe
Just to reconcile this violence

In such a contrived way


Senseless.... Oh Lord,
This obligatory violence in my life is senseless

All around me, there is no healing

Just blood and torn limbs

Of all your broken soldiers
We thought we were the pawns of you

But really, we are the slaves of man

If you're there, save us from this unholy mess

For we are being skewered 

In Jesus's name, 

Amen