The Would-Be Soldier
He once imagined himself
going to Ukraine,
volunteering in their army.
In his mind,
he was one of many patriots,
bravely holding back
the enemy with its superior numbers,
while missiles landed all around,
and bullets buzzed by his ears.
He was angry there for a time
and, rather than just cursing the invaders,
ready to act.
But he didn’t act.
He merely cursed.
Later, he read about some American
cut down in a battle in eastern Ukraine.
“That might have been me,”
he said to himself.
He admonished his imagination.
It could have got him killed.
John Grey is an Australian poet, US resident, recently published in Midnight Mind, Trampoline and Flights. Latest books, “Bittersweet”, “Subject Matters” and “Between Two Fires” are available through Amazon. Work upcoming in Levitate, White Wall Review and Willow Review.
