The gun explodes next to me,
Nearly shattering my ear drum.
The battlefield is a horrible, bloody mess.
I am nauseated by the sight and smell.

Dead bodies surround me,
And still more men charge at us.
The dead outnumber the living
And the smell of them is unbearable.

Bullets explode, burrowing into flesh.
Rivers of blood run everywhere,
Dissolving the ground into red mud.
The air is heavy with the scent of
Death, sweat, and burning flesh
As the sun sets, washing us all in
Its fierce, red glow.

Suddenly, pain bursts in my chest
Blood pouring from the wound.
The hot metal burns from the inside out,
Destroying me.
I fall to the ground,
I can’t fight anymore.

As I lay there dying,
I can’t help but wonder.
What will happen to me?
Oh God, the pain is unbearable.
Will my body be sent back home,
Or buried with the men I died with?

The bullet is like a lead weight,
Pulling me into the earth.
Is this really how my life will end?
Surrounded by so much anger and hatred?
The air itself is heavy with it.

You can’t imagine the pain.
Blood fills my mouth,
Choking me.
I can’t breathe,
And nor do I want to.

I’m tired of fighting.
Tired of this war.
Tired of hatred,
Of anger,
Of ignorance.

Darkness encloses me,
Cutting off my sight.
All I hear is the sound of men
Fighting….and dying.
Soon that fades too.

Silence.

Pure and utter silence.
I haven’t had that since this war began.
I never gave much thought to how I’d die.
Maybe when I was old, surrounded by my family.
But this seems better, easier.
Now I can rest and not worry about the world.
I have no family to take care of.

Maybe I’ll see my father if I make it to Heaven.
The pain is gone now…it’s just silence and peace.
I consider fighting Death,
Trying to live.
But what for?
Life is just full of anger and hatred.
Ignorance and Want.
Death is much easier.
With all this silence,
It’s much easier to give in than to fight.

And with my final thought,
I feel myself drifting off to eternal sleep.
Never to wake again,
Never to dream,
Never to breathe,
Never to think,
Never to worry,
Never to love,
Never to hate,
Ever again.

Only sweet, sweet
Silence.