U.S. Army photo

Fear

Do you feel it filling your veins
with a coldness of dread
with tremors of shaking
with a fear to move
fear to breathe
fear to expose yourself
to the death that is so near

Do you feel it sharpen your hearing
that you hear the smallest twig break
the smallest leaf flutter
the uncommon silence of critters
the movement of "something"

Do you feel it sharpen you vision
that you see shadows within shadows
shadows out of place
shadows that move with a certain grace
shadows that move where no shadow
should be

Fear, will it save me?

© Charles Schwiderski 6/5/2005

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Inside the Wire

Sing a song of barbwire fences,

Things could go awry;

See the nervous GIs,

Hoping not to die.

Crouched behind the sand bags

Fighting off the dread,

Praying that the sunrise

Won’t find us cold and dead.

Monsoon season’s started,

Skies are wet and gray;

Won’t be no sky borne cavalry

Coming to save this day.

Tighten up the pucker string,

Throttle back the fear,

Tingling senses tell you,

Charlie’s creeping near.

Mouth is just a little dry,

Jaws are clenched and tight;

Even hardcore atheist

Pray for morning light...

And something more

Than mortal help

To see us through the night.

© 6/5/2005 Thurman P. Woodfork

Background sequence by Andreas and Savas Oulassoglou