Two soldiers met upon a battlefield,
In the midst of bloody war,
For days the battle raged,
Like no battle raged before,
Warily they strode,
Beneath a baleful sky,
Wondering who might live,
And wondering who might die,
As death lay all around,
Which neither could abide,
Taking no great comfort,
That The Lord was on their side,
Each fought to raise his weapon,
Lest the other act in haste,
But pride and self-control,
Kept their swords and sabers chaste,
For a moment neither spoke,
And the world refused to turn,
As each man eyed the other,
And their hearts began to yearn,
“Let us lay our weapons down,”
One man finally said,
And both of them complied,
So relieved of all their dread,
“Now let us sit upon this ground,
So sacred and so sad—”
“And let us speak as men,”
Neither good and neither bad,”
And so they sat and talked,
Though at first their tongues were pained,
Until at last they spoke,
Of all so unrestrained,
Would that they could laugh,
With naught but death in all their wake?
Would that they could smile,
All for heaven’s sake?
“Why so must we fight?”
One man said aloud,
“I grow weary of this bloodshed,”
Then grew silent … sullen … proud,
“I have wondered this myself,”
Said the other with a sigh,
“I’ve no wish to kill a one,”
And he seemed as if he’d cry,
“Yet you kill us without mercy!”
Said the man with heartfelt rage,
“What choice does my side have,
When it’s war that you must wage?”
The other thought it over,
For he couldn’t understand,
That his one and only answer,
Was the same as that poor man,
“I’ve no wish die,”
Said this wounded, thoughtful man,
“And I’ve no wish to kill,
Not one person in this land,”
The other man then smiled,
For his heart had spoken true,
“May the Lord above forgive me,
Yet I feel the same as you,”
“What then can we do?”
Asked the other with all haste,
For they knew they were but pawns,
Who could forever be replaced,
But in time they reached a plan,
To end their bloody war,
By fighting not each other,
But by fighting just once more,
At last they bid farewell,
And embraced as newfound brothers,
Then marched back to their camps,
And announced this to the others,
“Why must we fight and kill,
And die upon this earth?
When those that send us off,
Live with merriment and mirth?”
“And never face the truth,
As we wash our bloodstained hands,
And bury all our triumphs,
Whilst they steal from all the land?”
And with their fires lit,
Two armies marched along,
Not toward but separate ways,
With chants of right and wrong,
So surprised were they those kings,
At barbarians at their gates,
Bearing their own standards,
And avowed to seal their fates,
“What’s all this?” they cried,
“Tis not I you must abhor!
For in my name and God’s,
I have ordered you to war!”
But the soldiers wouldn’t listen,
At neither pleading nor command,
And swarmed into the castle,
To make their king a man,
And as men the kings stood trial,
And their crimes they both did face,
Of turning brother against brother,
And of bringing all disgrace,
“Guilty!” all did cry,
When the charges were decreed,
Even though they’d cheered for war,
When told of its great need,
Still their bloodlust was assuaged,
With each king condemned to die,
And the soldiers watched them burn,
As thunder filled the sky,
Thus with hearts at ease,
Both soldiers said their prayers,
And wished each other peace,
Unbroken through these years.
Jesse Rucilez was born in Reno, Nevada. Growing up, Jesse was an avid reader of Sherlock Holmes stories and Marvel Comics. Throughout his life, Jesse has mainly worked in the security industry, both in Seattle, Washington and Reno, Nevada, and taught self-defense for several years before deciding to focus on writing. Inspired by authors such as Harlan Ellison, Stephen King, and Kurt Vonnegut, he prefers to write literary horror and science fiction, exploring what he calls “the dark side of the American Dream.”
As well as having several self-published works available on Amazon.com, Jesse’s work has appeared in print and online in a variety of publications, including: Ramingo’s Porch, The Borfski Press, Orcs Unlimited, Empty Sink Publishing, The Rye Whiskey Review, The Abyss E-zine of Horror, The Dope Fiend Daily, Anotherealm, Idiot Free Zone, and Unlikely Stories.
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