Under the Sky

Under the sky, the bright blue sky,

Through the binoculars I strained to see,

Which brother stood across the enemy lines? 

It is war they said and I asked why,

Was it a cause or was it greed?

Under the sky, the dark grey sky, I find myself in the trenches,

Craving for home, for a bed and for coffee;
Who is this standing next to me,

With a rifle poised at no man’s land?
Is it you my brother?

Under the sky, the thundering sky, yes, is the reply;

Bang, bang and boom, boom,

No more can I hear, no more can I see;
And I begin to question the cause,

As soon as my senses clear.

Under the sky, the unclear vague sky, this is war they said,

But it looks more like vengeance.

We are here to defend our people I thought,

But I see my people fall every other day.

And every day I survive.

Under the sky, the cold clear sky, I tremble as I crawl,

With a parched throat I crawl.
The fighting has stopped for the day,

And to the cold bunks we return.

After the cold killings, the cold just grows.

Under the sky, the starry black sky,

The earth shakes and the landscape brightens,

I am fully awake but I cannot feel,

Is this the end? Have we won?

Or have I entered eternal sleep?

-- Smriti Edith Paul