Dawn crawled through the trenches, across the ground, pockmarked by yesterday’s mortars, rattling the skeleton-branches of oaks.
Sergeant Harper coughed, the claws of mustard gas ripping his throat.
Was he lucky to survive?
One year ago when joining the war he would have thought so.
Now he knew that soldiers don’t have beliefs, only obedience.
So if all do their duty, they need not fear harm, the lieutenant had said just before he stepped over the edge just to be hit by the sniper’s bullet.
At least he had his name on a grave, not like his friends who were buried when their tunnel caved in under no man’s land.
Was it luck being alive?
Maybe today he would cross over, if not it was two weeks until his next two days relief with Claire at the village.
Sergeant Harper loaded his rifle again.
Today we write Prosery at Dverse with Ingrid. Today we have to fit the following line into a piece of prose (of less or equal than 144 words) from William Blake’s poem ‘The Chimney Sweeper:’So if all do their duty, they need not fear harm.
So if all do their duty, they need not fear harm
September 13, 2016.
Björn Rudbergs writings 
An atmospheric piece, Björn, and I think it suits the prompt very well. Your words took me to lines from another Blake poem, London:
‘And the hapless Soldiers sigh
Runs in blood down Palace walls’
I hope Sergeant Harper made it out alive!
The image of “the claws of mustard gas,” here is so very potent in this prose piece, Bjorn! Gorgeously rendered. 💝💝
So much in this little flash piece, I think “being lucky” is always in how we frame our stories and never in comparison to another’s fate. The ending allows some hope for the Sergeant to get back to the village! ♥
Bjorn, the image of a beautiful dawn light crawling through the trenches and their horrors is brilliant. Skilled existential reverie.
Coincidence. We had the same idea.
A fantastic write Bjorn.
Fantastic prosery
Have a good week
much❤love
So well done. That line lends itself to be taken this way, I think.
I hope the sergeant is lucky.
This may be your best war poem. The prompt sentence is perfectly weaved into the plot. It is Flash Fiction, and it is brilliant.
I developed “goosebumps” on my arms reading this one, Bjorn. So poignant .. and so damned descriptive of the truth of war.
You took me back to reading “All Quiet on the Western Front” in school, shivering when imagining the horrors of the war. Well done!
Great write, BR. We’re on the same page, I think.
“soldiers don’t have beliefs, only obedience.”
soldiers don’t have beliefs, only obeedience is a truth mot enough people see. wow what a write hits the mark with the subject.
very, very gritty, Björn – very realistic!
-David
Gritty. I love the line about obedience.
First off, a “Claire” surfaced in both of our pieces. How strange! I really love the opening, so rich in language. Also enjoyed this very thought-provoking line “soldiers don’t have beliefs, only obedience’.
You left me with questions … this was ‘real time / real emotion’ writing. Great stuff.