By Alice Shapiro

A cancerous child desired to be a soldier.

Granted this, he spent a day and night

in bivouacs, rifle drills, exercising

in and out of rubber tires

scaling walls with a gentle lift

from combat buddies.

His lit-up face among the giants

towering over his frailty

was prize enough for those who organized

his brief and poignant tour of duty.

Most young boys imagining a toy war

go home to dinner

with all four limbs, bullet-free abdomens

and scar-less psyches

unlike a soldier’s life

that is envied unaware of consequences.

And thanks abound

for a youngster’s dream-world

grown to fight

disarm an enemy

protect us

from a threatened harm.

And so a country’s choices must

bear delicate scrutiny

while sending idealistic soldier-boys

and girls

off to die.

The child whose illness

brought him early access

to a war zone

in the fore-days of his death

died happy, free

of more than one reality.

By KC Bosch

This well-written, cleverly worded poem is my favorite Alice Shapiro piece. The telling paints a picture of everyone involved except the country making the decisions, making choices that will put their idealistic young children in harm’s way. The ending, both happy and sad, is very striking. Thank you for writing this and letting me comment. 

My only issue (other than ones regarding the politics of war) is with the third stanza, which feels disjointed. After several readings it still does not flow for me.

#####

KC Bosch lives and writes in Virginia, and this place appears as a character in his writing as frequently as people do. His craft, be it wordworking or woodworking, is what he spends his time on and he takes his inspiration from both interior and exterior landscapes. You can read his words at vox poetica.