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Shattered Layers
It had been eight days
Eight days since the rations had run out
Eight days since any of the soldiers had had any food
The weather was unforgiving
Blankets upon blankets of snow
Covered everything
Even often covering their tattered tents
And make-shift lean-tos
As they tried to sleep
Uri and his comrades had scoured the woods
There were no deer
No squirrels
Not even birds in the sky
The last farmhouse that they had come across
Had been picked clean
A familiar sound had drawn their attention
It seemed to float through the trees of the forest
It had reminded Uri
Just for a moment
Of home
It was laughter
In the snow
Now Uri laid on his stomach
His whole body shaking
Not from the cold
But from a much deeper chill
Through the scope of his rifle he saw her
She could not have been more than twelve
“Take the shot” his commander ordered
That night the soldiers ate
Stew
There are so many layers we put in place
To define our humanity
Separate us from the animals
In one action
One brief moment of horror
For Uri
That last one shattered
Ed Roberts 3/19/11
You might think this a work of fiction
You might think me a monster for even writing these words
This was Leningrad
This was 1941
If we fail to remeber the past or try and erase it, we are destined to relive it.
Eight days since the rations had run out
Eight days since any of the soldiers had had any food
The weather was unforgiving
Blankets upon blankets of snow
Covered everything
Even often covering their tattered tents
And make-shift lean-tos
As they tried to sleep
Uri and his comrades had scoured the woods
There were no deer
No squirrels
Not even birds in the sky
The last farmhouse that they had come across
Had been picked clean
A familiar sound had drawn their attention
It seemed to float through the trees of the forest
It had reminded Uri
Just for a moment
Of home
It was laughter
In the snow
Now Uri laid on his stomach
His whole body shaking
Not from the cold
But from a much deeper chill
Through the scope of his rifle he saw her
She could not have been more than twelve
“Take the shot” his commander ordered
That night the soldiers ate
Stew
There are so many layers we put in place
To define our humanity
Separate us from the animals
In one action
One brief moment of horror
For Uri
That last one shattered
Ed Roberts 3/19/11
You might think this a work of fiction
You might think me a monster for even writing these words
This was Leningrad
This was 1941
If we fail to remeber the past or try and erase it, we are destined to relive it.
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Shattered Layers
Shattered Layers