I dug for days through trenches
drenched in mud
fingernails were breaking and
shrapnels cut deep into my shin
when shadowed by the sooty wings
of carrion birds
I found, at gunpoint
compassion in the coupe de grâce
from a moon-faced boy
A second short poem for Anthony’s prompt at dVerse. This light might be even darker than darkness itself
Björn Rudbergs writings
Poetry and fiction by a physicist from the dark side
Björn Rudbergs writings 
compassion in the coupe de grâce
from a moon-faced boy… to find compassion among such extremities… you’re right: this light is darker than darkness itself.
Intesnse!
That photo is so haunting. Is that a different view of the one on Time’s cover during the Vietnam War? Your writing makes me wonder how often that happens when eyes of enemies meet and they see compassion even at the moment of killing.
That ending remind me of coming face to face with the war enemy ~ What will you do, kill or spare his life or yours ~
Horrific and depressing what humanity is capable of and yet what it descends to.
Oooh this one packs a punch.
Love.
Painfully real images.
Very intense, how horrible for so many to have come face to face with that boy, and the choice many made must haunt them forever. Wonderfully done Bjorn.
Hard to believe that some folks love war..even from a distance of a gun and real bullets..but they do and even more from behind a gun..some do.. as some folks are just made to kill by environment or innate ways too…
Compassion would be the death of me for sure..if traveled that way..born just in time..a time to never face that choice of death for me or them..in a jungle or desert rotting with darkness even through potential light of so-called freedom ways….
In a way..given the last 50 years..and the reality of those wars it is..that people still hunger to kill again..but not too as some people simply do have that hunger as cold blooded warrior true…
Killing games..alway a part of some of human nature true too..it seems…2…sadly.. yes sadly true…..
Ouch — just …. ouch —-
Such a poignant piece all to prove how even one day at war can tear a mind, soul and heart. Beautifully penned!
Bjorn, The statement that “War is hell” has always been true. As long as there is pride, fear, greed, and corruption, there will always be war. —Susan
The painting enhances your poem – moving.
You’ve nailed this experience in your words, Bjorn! Though this poem is not about WWI, I am still too close to my experiences in France / Belgium seeing the WWI graves & thinking about those soldiers’ experiences to think beyond that. And yes, in some cases, the light CAN be darker than the dark!
I like your write and prefer to leave the ending open, like he took him as pow and fed him, etc. Knowing we mostly have soldiers with some compassion. Honor, hence my issues. Too much light.
a coup de grace might be preferable to becoming POW— I wanted to put the hell of war against the suffering..
a strange encounter it is….but if they had met in that dark tunnel after death what would have been their reaction?…there’s a wonderful poem by Wilfred Owen on this theme, the poem being Strange Meeting…
ah… I see your point. interesting take on the prompt and something to think about
compassion at gunpoint….definitely shows light within the darkness…
Very good poem; I hope people will not soon forget the lessons of Vietnam (or any war, for that matter, but Vietnam was especially omnipresent on television). I aesthetically enjoyed, among others, “when shadowed by the sooty wings/of carrion birds.” I read it as a personification of the various military aircraft in the skies of southeast Asia. FWIW, I find your poems an endless fount of compassion, Björn.
so painful and such a horrible period of time.
Notes From A Metro Line
This is tragic and beautiful at the same time. I’d like to think that the last couple of lines was a message of hope and a bright light in that dark moment.