The Soldier

Changing things up a bit with this one. This is my favorite poem by Rupert Brooke that I recently reread and felt the need to share.

At the Point

Jutting mountains
An endless sky

Shimmering lake below

Pride of taking

The highest point

Kindling

Life is kindling
Quick to ignite
Quick to burn out
Passion is kindling
Quick to ignite
Quick to burn out
Unless nurtured
Nurtured to a blaze
Constantly stoked
Our's twice was kindling
Warm and comforting
Never stoked ablaze
A spark that will be missed

Grave

Our job was simple. Kill Souji Takenaka, head of Takenaka Incorporated. The plan was concise. Infiltrate the building; kill anyone that got in the way. Pretty much a routine kill for us sweepers. Damn, if we only knew how wrong we were. Infiltrating the building was a piece of cake, but what was to come…none could have ever predicted.

The night was cold and wet. The moon was only a sliver at the end of its cycle, before rebirth. We drove up and parked in the back ally of Takenaka’s building. Then walked around to the front.

We entered the building through the main doors concealing our weapons in our coats and took the elevator up to Takenaka’s office level. Once there in his lobby, my crew began to systematically kill everything that breathed while I confronted Takenaka. On kicking in Takenaka’s door I hesitated; sitting with Takenaka was Perry McDougal, my best friend and supposed heir to the family.

“Nicely played John. Your work is definitely professional, though your hesitation upon entering, was to say the least unnerving.” McDougal said sardonically.

“What are you talking about Perry? What’s going on?” I asked eyes full of confusion.

“Oh? You don’t know? Mr. Takenaka has decided to join the organization after all, and if I’m not mistaken, you’re trying to kill him. Oh wait…that means you’re betraying the family, so you must die.”

“You bastard!” I seethed. Before I could pull my finger back on the warm trigger, I was blown to the ground by a hellish explosion. Gunfire erupted between my remaining sweepers and Takenaka’s men who appeared like specters.

I managed to rise to my feet only to find a gun in my face. It was Perry’s six shot revolver. The first piece he ever owned—the one I gave him.

“I’m sorry it has to end like this, John. It is the only way to be absolutely sure the organization is mine.”

“You betrayed us all! What is he offering you Takenaka? What would make you join the organization?” I goaded in anger.

“Well, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to tell, fifty percent of the organization’s wealth upon Mr. McDougal’s takeover.”

“You really think he would honor that when he kills his friends!”

“He’s right, you know,” Perry said in a simultaneous motion turning and firing two shells into Takenaka’s chest. Death was almost instantaneous.

Perry’s actions, however, gave me just the time I needed to take cover, before Perry could even turn about a searing wave of pain swept through his body. Blood splattered the walls and carpet of Takenaka’s office. Unlike me, Takenaka’s men wasted no moment’s hesitation in delivering release.

The office was piece-meal. I dodged between pieces of furniture catching a bullet here and there. Each time I heard a clip fall to the ground I was on my feet pumping lead from my two pistols. There were eight, I think, to begin with. It didn’t take long to kill them all. I clipped two, maybe three, in the head sending shards of bone and brain matter into the bloody painting. Three of them were hit in the chest, and the last bullets ripped through their throats, splashing crimson in an array of violence.

The room was a catastrophe of dust, debris, and human innards. Once the dust settled I check the body of Souji Takenaka. Clearly, he was dead. One of the bullets had pierced his heart. Perry, on the other hand, was hanging to life by a tread.

“J-John…h-help me…” pleaded Perry gasping for breath.

Stars of Anonymity

What is life but a puff of smoke

Elusive and untouchable

Our sole desire is life

Since our birth life is what we desire

But is life everything?

Can we not rise above

Our own lives for others?

We can I tell you

We can

Those who have died

For everything we hold dear

They gave everything

All that remains of these people

Is names carved in stone

Or mass unknown graves

On the hillside

Those are the people

Who have risen above life

Now, they live on

Forgotten and lost to history

We must not let that continue

We must honor and remember

These people in our own time

For they still exist among us

Serving in far off countries

For ideals that made us free

To help free others from oppression