THE CHANGING FACE OF CONFLICT

It's been
such a hell of a long time
since I last surrendered.
You know
how lonely it gets.

She loved
my eyes
and what a nice guy
I was.
But I have got
good trenchments,
and howitzers
could not gut out
the deep fleshes
she hankered to worry.

When I saw her bodybag eyes, I laughed loud
and said wasn't this a pretty thing,
is this how you send a man away.
It didn't last and never does.