The slim young man lay with his legs in the shade
afraid to die
he had no stomach for violence
and could not make himself fight
He closed his eyes,
shook his head,
and counted to three,
suddenly he sat down and held his head in his arms
He breathed in deep
and hoped the Americans would go away
he was not a fighter
only a citizen and a soldier who had accepted his patriotic duty
He remembered his girlfriends picture
and how he loved her so much
his love was too much for him,
he felt paralyzed
All he could do was wait and pray
and hope that he would never be tested
grief, terror, love, longing
he was afraid of disgracing himself
but mostly,
he was afraid to die
