Butterfly

A sea of the same olive-brown monotone
Dust flying like pixies in the dark
Thet were together but so alone
Guns aimed right toward their human mark

The shouting and mumbling died away
As he closed his eyes and breathed in
Possibly the last breath of fresh air that day
He whispered, begging god to forgive this sin

He heard a voice over the growing breeze
And his eyelids fluttered back open
‘Stay alive’, Josh whispered with a small squeeze
He smiled, squeezed back, ‘Amen’

His eyes focused on the barren land
But his mind drifted back home
To the future he had planned
And the small life he wanted in Rome

Fear creeped up his spine
And sweat dripped down his face
He couldn’t walk in a straight line
He blinked hoping to cut through the haze

Then he heard the first gunshot
Knees buckling, tripping over his own feet
He stood still as the soldiers around him fought
Until he saw a butterfly fluttering to the war beat

Snow white with soft pink spots
Like a bride gliding down the aisle
He stared at her until she was a dot
And if you looked closely you could see him smile