Map of the Battlefield By Jasen Sousa

Map of the Battlefield


Her skirt bounced, she trudged up subway stairs,
barricaded by her weight and bags she held.
At the back of her legs, I was forced to stare
at calves and ankles which were permanently swelled.

Fluorescent rivers flowed through aged skin,
faded scars of stitches, zippers that will never open.
Unshaved stubble, lost in the rubble, hundreds of surviving brave men.
The glare of the battle scene soaked in sweat and lotion.

Bombs exploded, left large holes,
hitting hard enough to bruise and dig trenches, but not deep enough to bleed.
Shade covered parts of her legs from mountainous moles,
as she stumbled, I heard the spirits of fallen soldiers trying to breathe.

Gun shot wounds, blisters bulged over the back of her heel,
a telling tale of this woman’s personal plight.
A battle which has left wounds that will never heal.
A map of the battlefield, a forgotten war and an unknown soldier’s fight.




Taken From
Humming Eternity By Jasen Sousa (Written During Emerson College Era)
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