Source: otakugangsta.com via howling on Pinterest
Drone
I.
Asim, a young father
Told his daughter a story
Before she went to bed
A story, part fantasy, hopeful
Reality, where people lived
And worked and played in
Peace, as people do in
Fantasies.
II.
Harold ate his breakfast
Cheerios, with his lovely wife
Eileen.
His rich cup of coffee cooled
To creamy perfection.
Ah! Mmm, mmm, mmm.
Leafing through the newspaper
A nice pair of shoes for sale
Maybe he’d stop by the store
On his way home from work?
III.
Asim, kissed his wife
Goodnight, he loved the way
Her eyes danced beneath closed lids
When she was dreaming
The quiet moments
They shared alone
The moon shining through the window
Should have reassured him
But something wasn’t right…
IV.
Not much traffic today
Harold thought as he breezed
Along the highway
The Nevada sun just beginning to
Brush the sky with desert gold
A red convertible carpet ride
Few were ever privileged
To know.
When he passed through the
Gates
Securities making clearances
A salute here and a salute there
A slap on the back from his buddy
Jack: “Hey, Hal
Didja see the game last night?
Didja see it? Man it was killer.
Killer, I tell ya.
Killer.”
Yeah, life was good
For Harold and his wife and his cat
And his dog, two kids, what more
What more
What more
Could one ask for?
The briefing done
To the Ground Control Station
A camouflaged trailer
Cool, very cool
Temperature-controlled
And the chair? Kid glove leather
No expense spared
“Some would call this a cushy job,”
He chuckled.
Oh well, another day, another dollar.
Check the mission. All clear.
Roger. Copy.
Just like when I was a kid, he thought
Just like when I was a kid
Playing games, scoring points
Advancing to the next level.
When the cross-hairs came on screen
A slight rush of adrenaline
His fingers firmly on the joystick
Thumb poised over the button
Steady… steady
Fire!
A flash of light, black smoke
Flame
Mission accomplished.
V.
Asim, his wife, his daughter
Were gone in an instant
Vaporized.
Was he an enemy?
A husband, a lover, a father?
Could he have been a friend?
No one asked, no one cared
No one will ever know.
Certainly not Hal
He’ll never smell the smoke
Or see the face
Or hear the voice
Or know the name
Asim.
Those are abstracts in an
Absurd universe
Not worth contemplating.
When he headed out the door
At the end of the day
He felt good
Real good
You might even say, damned good
He did it all
For God and for country
That’s what he was taught
That’s what he believed
Not unlike so many others
On so many opposite sides
Who are taught to believe in
Killing.
No need for a second thought
Just a glance at his watch
Tick, tick, tick…
Ah yes, just enough time
To cruise on over to that store
And check out those shoes.
Laurence Overmire is the author of the recently released The One Idea That Saves The World: A Call to Conscience and A Call to Action. He has had a multi-faceted career as poet, author, actor, director, educator, and genealogist. His award-winning poetry has been widely published in hundreds of journals, magazines and anthologies worldwide. Overmire is an advocate for peace, justice, human and animal rights, and the environment.
Like elephant enlightened society on facebook.
Join our new Google+ Community.
Ed: Lynn Hasselberger
Read 4 comments and reply