Sunday 26 February 2012

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

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