A SOLDIER IS COMING

Before I can replay my life,

live and die again,

the silence is broken by explosions.

There is gunfire.

There are trucks.

And there are many voices.

My captor flees.

I am left alone in the field.

A soldier is coming.

I am not ready to die.

I scramble back into the haystack.

The soldier’s steps and my heartbeat are in sync.

Shhh.

Not a sound.

Not a breath.

Not a motion.

Fear holds my hand.