Young Men In Uniform

The night before the battle

Awaiting the glorious clash of arms

The Woman came to the young man

To the young man in uniform.

She was beautiful as the moon and stars

Clad in the National Flag was she

She kissed the young man on the lips

And smiled upon him lovingly.

“I love a young man,” she said

“A young man in uniform for me

For he gives his heart and soul

For freedom and liberty.

“I’ll be waiting for you,” she said

And kissed him one time more

“I’ll give you myself, all of me

When you return through that door.

“For you are victory’s angel

On the side of Good and Right

You give your all for God and Country

You don’t shrink back from the fight.

“Go forth and conquer the enemy,” she said

“The enemy all without charm

For he is full of hatred, ire and chaos

He would do our Nation harm.

“He hates our styles and customs

Envies our glory and our might

He forces us against our will

To leave hearth and home behind and fight.

“Go do your duty,” the Woman said

Smiled and gazed into his eyes

“You are heroes, and our Nation

Will sing your praises to the skies.”

The young man climbed into his tank

Rode his fighter over lands so far

Into the blue sea dived his submarine

Bravely went he off to war.

The night after the war was over

(Who cares who won and who lost?

All across the land, wailing women

Were counting and mourning the battle’s cost.)

The young man lay charred in his gutted tank

Dead in his fighter’s wreck sprawled he

Drowned in his submarine’s shattered hull

Down on the bottom of the sea.

Then came the Woman, she came to him

Dressed in a shroud was she

Her lips were red, as with blood

And her eyes danced with glee.

“I love a young man,” she crooned

As over his corpse crouched she

“They give their hearts, their souls, their blood

All in worship they give to me.

“Young men in uniform taste so good.”

(She said in a sibilant hiss)

“Their blood's better than anything else

No Heavenly dew can match this.”

She crouched over the corpse, as she fed

And overhead the stars whirled by

Promising, just like young men in uniform

That one day, the world would die.

 Copyright B Purkayastha 2012