War Lessons

Bodies are carbon,
hydrogen,
oxygen, and empty space,
mostly.

It takes a couple of hours
for flesh and bones to burn
into a few pounds of ash.

It takes a couple of minutes
for lungs to be full with
liquid.

It takes a bullet for a heart to stop,
a mortar bomb for limbs to shatter,
a knife for a head to roll on the ground.

It takes a lifetime for a mind
to forget watching these scenes.

We're fragile entities,
mostly.