10 THINGS I LEARNED ABOUT THE WAR
AT THE AGE OF 10
1. There is nothing glorious
Or noble about it. In fact, it's
Ugly. People are ugly. And they
Do ugly things. Sometimes, at
Night you can hear people
Having ugly things done to
Them. You wish for thicker
Pillows.
2. Fear of the trapped animal
Grabs you the first time a grenade
Hits within 30 feet of you. That
Fear lasts. For a month. Or two.
Then it goes away. You get
Used to it.
3. It is boring as fuck. Most of
The time you just sit around. You
Learn how to play every card game
Known to man in your city. You
Eventually get sick of each and
Every one. At the age of 10 you
Get tired of playing games (Which
Bodes well for your love life as
An adult.)
4. Our fathers go away to the
Front lines and some of them
Never come back. A friend of
Yours goes outside to bring
Coffee for soldiers holding
Night watch and he never
Comes back. You hear about
It on the radio the next morning
As the DJ interrupts the local
Release of "Don't Cry" by Guns
And Roses.
5. You learn what hunger is.
Hunger hurts.
6. War is noisy. Loud noises all
Day long. Like a construction
Site from hell. So loud at times
You think the entire world is
Crumbling down on you. Which,
In a way, it is.
7. War is like camping. But in a
Basement. With no windows.
While trying to sleep on a
Concrete floor. On an old,
Scratchy, military
Blanket.
8. There are no weekends. There
Are no holidays. But there are
Days when humanitarian
Aid arrives.
9. At some point, it all goes
Away. Or you go away.
Which is kind of a
Same thing.
10. It never goes away.
By Dario Cvencek
Biography:
Dario Cvencek is an immigrant poet from the Balkans. His poetry is inspired by his growing up during the Bosnian War in the 1990s, and his subsequent experiences as a refugee and an immigrant in Germany and United States. In his poems, he explores the themes of war, trauma, healing, search for meaning, and identity. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Rising Phoenix Review, Ambrosia Zine, Gnashing Teeth Publishing, and The Split Mind. He lives and works in Seattle, WA.
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