Woven stories from the marsh land.
A baptism of fire erupts in your eyes.
A first day built of sweat and smoke and bomb craters.
Where did your innocence go?
Oh soldier, that was lost long ago.
Today we are built on trust and brotherhood.
HOOAH!
You’ve lost light to bodies drenched in sorrow.
Let the earth swallow you whole.
Reopened your eyes to gunfire and blood, until the grasslands felt like home.
Spent nights carrying flat hearts.
With brothers held in strong arms.
This is how a soldier marches when the weight of a country is cradled from harm.
We are the brothers spun of chaos and redemption.
With memories tethered to weapons.
Racing heart, strong pulse.
Revered strength welcomed back into the American spirit.
Kayla Archibald-Hall. Appalachian.
Boulder Weekly accepts poetry and flash fiction submissions of 450 words/35 lines or fewer and accompanied by a one-sentence bio of the author. Send to
poetry@boulderweekly.com
