Image by André Kertész, 1915 “The Fairy Tale”
For those still suffering from war and disaster, and in memory of those who have served and are serving.
Look, these quiet men:
lungs caked by the dirt
between their bare toes
and the broken walls they lean on,
their only solace resting
open between the three of them,
yellowed from oil on tiny fingers
turning to the next adventure
as they huddle against the cold
flowing through their patchy knees,
to read in silence the fairy tale
described upon the crusty pages.
Look at these men- quiet,
only boys really,
as they crowd around this book
which holds what they can
recall of their boyhood,
which tells them what
it’s like to be a child
in a world without war;
showing them the dreams
of children not haunted by nightmares.
