Guess

"What do you say, Soldier?"

Eyes frozen in space.
Don't blink.
Lips glued to teeth.
Don't think.
Tell me what I need to say,
And I'll speak.
I'll speak to the Angel above.

"How does it feel, Soldier?"

Nail marks in palms.
Don't feel.
Bite marks on tongue.
Don't breathe.
Tell me now how I need to look,
And I'll see.
I'll see myself from Angel eyes.

***

Killing someone not only changes their life.

It changes yours as well.


From a thousand feet away you can hear their heartbeat ebb, their breathing shallow. You can see the change in their eyes. The fear that no scream or shriek or cry could possibly bear. You can smell the blood on them, the metallic smell makes your nose sting. And your eyes water. And as you turn your face away, hard and unmoved, your stomach turns. Your heart jerks. And you realise that yours still beats.

You can guess you did the right thing.
You can guess you had no other choice.
You can even guess you were only doing your job.




Sure. You can guess.