When they return from war, our winning side.
You see deep into their eyes the flame that die
They kiss their girls but still they cannot hide
that also winners lose and dearly pay
a cut-throat cost and now they’re damaged goods.
I see their lamps at night are always lit,
they cannot sleep, cause in the neighborhood
a darkness linger from the throats they slit.
A hero cannot face his dreams at night;
the winner is the one that lost the least.
The air is thick of screams – around his neck
a millstone tied. His hell will never cease.
He mixes bourbon with prescription pills
and when his breathing ceased, he paid his bills
Shell shocked soldier
Today at dVerse poetics Mary wants us to ponder about winners and losers. What are their differences? What is typical of winners. But a year like this I cannot avoid talking about winners and losers in war (if there is such a thing). Many young men are becoming killers (often for a good cause) but a beast within has wakened and the prices afterwards are terrible.
—
December 2, 2014
Björn Rudbergs writings 
Yes, I think you are right, Bjorn. The winner in war is the one who has lost the least. And so often the winning comes at a high price. And indeed there are some who return to live in a hell that ‘will never cease.’ The picture really illustrates your poem….strongly!
I think it’s more common than not.. a sad situation indeed.
so felt the struggle in this… perhaps, only a few are designed to carry the weight of war… unfortunately, there are too many wars to fill the need… I think of David (Old Testament) a man of war not allowed to build the Holy Temple… such a weight to carry… my dad was at Pearl Harbor which I did not know until after his death… never did he talk about what he saw that day, but often the house would be woken in the middle of the night from his sleepless moans
Yes .. I am so happy to live in a country with few returning soldiers.. yet even the few that do carry a heavy burden.
when it comes to war, i think the winners are the greatest losers because they have to live in the after with all the ghosts…there are no winners in war….we all lose….tight piece
It depends — the losers might be the ones that fertilize the battleground.
That line “A hero cannot face his dreams at night”…now that’s one heck of a powerful line! We all too often forget that the “conquering heroes” did not come home unscathed, but carry psychological wounds that may never heal.
We know it well, but there is bliss in forgetting.. and reward a purple heart instead.
Your title says it all. This is such a powerful piece describing a catalogue of losses.
Oh yes there are so bad ways of winning
Thought provoking . . . its not always obvious who the real winners are.
I think that many are destroyed by winning…
Classic form & conundrum, brother. Switzerland & Sweden make it work, but you are the size of California, or smaller. Too often we let our guard down (Pearl Harbor/9-11) & we pay a heavy price for it. From the drug lord wars, to the Somali pirates, to the roving gangs of militant thugs in Africa, to the relentless arrogance & cruelty of radical Islamic zealots–the threats are never ending, & politicians, bankers, arms dealers salivate when the sabers are rattled & fear grips us all.
Still the prize the winner pays is never considered.
Having said that, I certainly get your meaning in your terrific poem. In a near perfect world, devoid of nationalism, greed, & the down side of human nature, perhaps we could be winners in brotherhood, in fellowship; a beautiful dream; like the one we had when we elected Obama, before the Republicans got at him like a pack of rabid hyenas.
I am not saying we shouldn’t take a stand.. we should just be aware of the cost they pay.
This is a very powerful write, Björn. The images are striking. All the more so as we know that what you evoke is real. At least now I think this is more common knowledge, which sadly does not mean that the issue is addressed as it should by the authorities concerned. But I also think of the soldiers of WW1 and WW2 whose psychological injuries remained hidden.
I think there are many who have grandfathers or fathers who cannot sleep..
when it comes to war, the winner takes all… all as in, post-traumatic-stress disorder, tossed to the side by the government and barely get any assistance… the list goes on…
A difficult situation, war–terrible for all sides; terrible for those who are just on the sidelines. Obviously, there are also all these issues of the haves- and have-nots, and resentment and prejudice and greed and anger–a difficult mix in being human.
I specially like this part:
The air is thick of screams – around his neck
a millstone tied. His hell will never cease.
The consequences of war comes after the war & often there is not enough pills & drinks to calm the nerves for a goodnight rest ~ Have a good week Bjorn ~
So often we rush into things without thinking of the consequences, even those of apparent victory! A very sad, very brutally honest and gripping poem.
I can’t imagine the reality of a battlefield you describe…I see it in the movies, read it in the news. But having lost some friends in the Vietnam war and of course fathers here in WW2, it hits close to home…heartfelt poem, Bjorn. The winning side in war gets no prize.
The nightmare and disturbing things that men at war have to go through. wow!!! this reminds me of Stanley Kubrick’s “Paths of Glory” & “Full Metal Jacket”. If you haven’t seen those movies please do watch them.
This poem my friend is genius and has a lot of deep emotional soul.
Beautiful my friend. 🙂
“A hero cannot face his dreams at night”- an indelible line, particularly in these days of rampant and escalating post traumatic stress disorder.
WWI was the worst – perhaps the last war to be fought the old fashioned way. With wars becoming more like video games, I wonder if the soldiers are as traumatized as their old counterparts.
Working with the military for over two decades i knew a lot of heroes that still after decades did live with that millstone around their neck..
And some of them fought in the wars.. where the military industrial complex wasn’t the only one responsible for deaths….
And even sadder still.. is when one knows the truth of today’s push button wars.. where the distance between humanity and death..
no longer even exists.. but in the eyes of the dead…..
A great take on this prompt Bjorn, the winner is often the one who lost the least, a lovely way of looking at it.
Beautiful and powerful……last lines say a lot….
In war, no-one wins, not even the bystanders. Heroism: it depends on your definition of hero. To me armies are either aggressors or victims, not heroic.
Bjorn, such an amazing and powerful statement – in my country, I have seen the aftermath of the only war in my lifetime – and I can imagine no less…..
The winner takes all and then has to work out how to squeeze himself through the eye of a needle
A hero cannot face his dreams at night;
the winner is the one that lost the least.
How very true! Even if they win it would just be marginal! There are no real winners. Great thoughts Brorn!
Hank
yes the price soldiers pay goes unnoticed…also it’s inner struggle and it’s difficult to share it or speak about it..wonderful lines
Are there any winners in war.
I doubt that….
Bjorn, Chilling and realistic. This has been a problem for many. Their families suffer right along with them. Well written. — Suzanne