Month: April 2018

As bombs blasted the sky in my grandfather’s eyes, his story slowly coming to an end, my ears began to ring as he spoke. He spoke of righteousness, of injustice, liberty and slowly his somber look grew more at ease as he told me not to fret; it was all behind us and there is only forward, so forward I went.  

I never forgot my grandfather; not after he died, and his house was sold, not after I turned 18 and enlisted, and not after my second tour to Iraq. There are just some things you do not forget, no matter how bad you want to or need to; it just doesn’t go away. 

I look in the mirror as I shave off the weeks of stubble and grime from my face and see his eyes, this has me pause and look at the face I don’t remember. My ears ring a little as I trace the old razor blade over the left side of my face, I have that thinking look on my face, but I haven’t a clue where my mind has gone. Maybe it is the same place my grandfathers had gone that day he told me they won the war to end all wars. I sometimes wish he was right, and that I didn’t have to think of him being wrong when we spoke that September day.  

“Boy,” He would call to me when my grandma was outside in the garden. “We have but a minute, but you need to think.” I would smile so giddy, I loved to think in the ways of man. 

“Alright then let us think.” I would always reply, and that September may have been different, but it reminds me of all the rest now a day. “I think I want to go off to war like you, very soon…” My eyes would land on my feet bashfully by admitting this to someone who wished nothing of the sort for me.  

“There won’t be any need for that.” 

 

By: Persephone Hudzinski