THE FIGHTER PILOT'S LAMENT

Cherry

By Indrani Ananda

Wed, 30 Jan 2013
  • 1832 reads
7 comments
 

I do not hate them, those I kill;
All strangers in a foreign land;
I do not love them, those I guard,
Nor do I see them close at hand.

Yet to the skies my life I pledge
As through the clouds I blaze my path
To fight a foe I must not know,
Nor ever meet in aftermath.

When to the Earth my torn wings fall
As good and evil pay the price,
Not one shall mourn me of them all,
Nor thank me for my sacrifice.

Certificate 18
Story
SHADOWS ON THE SKY
Spiritual

Comments

Submitted by sid on
I really like this, especially the first stanza. It says so much about war in so few words

 

Submitted by Indrani Ananda on
Indrani Ananda Thank you for your comments, Sid. If airmen really thought like this, would they still go out and do it? Indrani.

Indrani Ananda

Submitted by Silver Spun Sand on
"When to the Earth my torn wings fall As good and evil pay the price..." about says it all Indrani. Tina

 

Submitted by Indrani Ananda on
Indrani Ananda Thank you for your appreciation, Tina. Indrani

Indrani Ananda

Submitted by TVR on
Hello Indrani. I thought this was a marvelous poem with an excellent rhyming pattern. You sum up perfectly the thoughts of a serviceman going about his duties, one who is not unfeeling, but in fact very sensitive. He strives to distant himself from his acts of destruction. For him it is nothing personal against the people he kills. He neither knows who he is killing, or even fighting to protect. He only know that he is performing his duty and his saving grace is that he is shielded by the anonymity within which he works, while all the time recognizing his own mortality. A very sensitive poem, Indrani and I applaud you for it. Well done. Trev

TVR

Submitted by Indrani Ananda on
Indrani Ananda Hello, Trev, Thanks for reading and commenting. It is a very simple poem, I admit, but I wrote it very quickly, and you have read so much from it. Indrani.

Indrani Ananda

Submitted by scratch on
Sorry Indrani I missed this one. And it's a poignant piece of poetry and no mistake.