Road To

The drone and the groan of the track upon sand
As an armoured car rolls over the land
Its cumbersome movement, the desert it stirs
By the haze of the heat the terrain is disturbed

Outside, it’s bleak, not a green blade of grass
Just the crack and the spit like the splinter of glass
The heat beats down fiercely making barren the ground
Inside only by sweat are inhabitants drowned

Excitement and fear as emotions run high
The chests of our warriors swelling with pride
Yet nerves are on edge, the horizon is scanned
The route is familiar, just as it was planned

Eyes glance at each other, as the whoosh they do hear
The sound of a mortar launched somewhere quite near
A moment of panic, then one of relief
A feeling of terror, though only quite brief
Senses are heightened, and vigilant eyes
See a trail of black smoke coming from the roadside

‘Under attack’ is the message relayed
‘Back up requested, please do not delay’
Positions are given and soon comes the sound
Of the spinning of blades as the copter flies round

Under the blaze of the full midday sun
Insurgents caress the steel barrels of guns
The rattle of cartridges spent as they fly
Exchanges of fire flash across the blue skies

And whilst fears are replaced with adrenalin rush
Its suddenly ended by deafening hush.

Poet’s Note:
The poem aims to create an image of the reality of modern warfare.. its ending is deliberately ambiguous. The poem is part of a series written by the author that focuses on different perspectives on war.

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Fiona Jamieson

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Fiona Jamieson has been writing poetry since childhood and is currently embarking on her first published works. Her current work mixes mythology and fantasy, using the central character of the Goddess Isis. Her latest writing is around the Goddess 'search for wisdom' and we see her meeting some of the great minds of time. She considers the issues of knowledge and wisdom and the past and how this influences current thinking. She illustrates her own poetry. Fiona also writes war poetry.