Retribution
Picked

warning: adult material

(I bear witness)

In times of war we do what we have to do


 

Retribution

(I bear witness)

 

they came early, dragged out the men,

nailed them eagled strung to the walls.

the boys they shot through the knees,

bent forced to cut their own throats, filmed

the black blood leak into the drains.

 

thick rain screams from turbid skies;

the Earth turns, opens its dried womb

for these lives removed, gouged eyes

blind to the fate of those left behind –

each stripped, whipped, gang-raped, doused and torched,

bodies, meatless, left for the rats.

 

I watched from the cropped mountain top,

among the rocks hidden by the clouds,

the children folded to my sides,

blindfolded – to such savagery

they cannot be witness; only I,

 

I carry the scars, memories,

seeds, which will trace back to this day

condemn the arms and those that armed –

complicit all, innocent none.

guilty all, those satellite eyes,

glued to the daily live streamed kills;

 

I know each one, will hunt them down.

 

 

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ifyouplease

word choice here is more than interesting, live streamed kills satellite eyes and you knowing them if this is autobiographical I wonder where you witnessed all this but I doubt you can be more specific. for all of us that spent many years thinking of such cruelty and knowing it happens every day somewhere in the world and almost lost our marbles, the slightest thing could trigger this retribution for something we hadn’t witnessed but heard or read about, we are many that know and can feel these things asking for the same thing, not just human and/or divine Justice,… Read more »

Dodgem

The British army in Bosnia witnessed this level of atrocity; some of those soldiers never recovered from it. I won’t ask if any of that may apply to yourself, but the poem does convey a terrible reality.

Bhi

A visceral and vivid poem. Unless there is celebrity involved these events get swept under the radar.

Bhi

I have 2 children; hope I never have to bear that.

stormwolf

Thank you, oh thank you, for your gut wrenching honesty and bold no nonsense writing. In times of war we do what we have to do WHY? WHY DO NOT SEE THIS IS INHUMAN? OMG I lost almost all of my comment.~ Can I ask what part of the observer decides its ok to witness atrocities of this nature and go against the humanity of man? Is it because you are given orders? Only following orders…. What about the man who decides that being witness to such demonic cruelty and sadism is worth disobeying orders? I am appalled such things… Read more »

Last edited 3 years ago by stormwolf
stormwolf

Too late. You watched them die in excruciating circumstances.
Does not make sense to me.

stormwolf

If soldiers refused to do what assaults their soul these things would stop God I hate this world and all its perverted idealism and blatant cruelty.

ifyouplease

I think Pilgermann was protecting two children if I am not gravely mistaken and if I have understood correctly he/she adopted them too. I would not be risking the life of others and I would try to hide them well first and keep them safe from all this until they really do not need me around. Kids and animals and women would be my priority. Priorities have a price.

Last edited 3 years ago by ifyouplease
stormwolf

I have two sons. To see them face this fate..would have me running into machine guns.
Anyone who knows me would attest to this btw.

Last edited 3 years ago by stormwolf
ifyouplease

well I understand, but it’s wiser if you first secured them somewhere and go back when they no longer need your presence at least for a while. It’d be better if you had someone to trust enough with your kids lives should you die too.

stormwolf

No, I am talking of the youths shot through the knees the cutting the throats.

ifyouplease

well you have kids with you that you managed to hide somewhere, you turn to look what you can do and you watch such atrocities, the kids ask, you blindfold them not to watch, then you have to decide do you leave them there and go shoot as many as possible (and you may have to find a gun first [ and might find one and may also find the kids dead later] ) or wait until it stops they leave and you leave too with the kids to a secure place?

Last edited 3 years ago by ifyouplease
stormwolf

How do you come to this conclusion? Am I missing something?

stormwolf

I don’t want to offend you in any way but the line “I bear witness” Then .
In times of war we do what we have to do

 
Maybe I am soul sick of this twisted world where everything is inverted.
 
I do thank you for the reality check though, I see the world is more putrid than even I imagined.

Last edited 3 years ago by stormwolf
ifyouplease

this poem and allow me to reply again to you and I’m not speaking on anyone’s behalf or defending anyone’s choices, has some key words and lines, I thought that the bear witness part and I know each one, are very telling, if Pilgerman knows each one they know too. Retribution is also a telling title. Who knows what happened and where but it seems like Pilgermann and the kids could be under some sort of protection because of what they saw.