Crossfire
for Bhayden
It’s strange to be caught in the middle of a war you didn’t even know existed. It is strange being in crossfire and having bullets passing harmlessly through your body and leaving you completely oblivious to the situation. And sometimes it is a mighty blessing to be left out of it and kept in the shadows. They tell me it is for my own good, and of course I never believed them…that is until the veil of ignorance fell away. There is a weight that comes with the absence of ignorance, and it is one terrible to bear.
Well, now my eyes are open, and the bullets are no longer harmless. They pierce through my flesh and leave my heart bleeding. They have become deadly.
Standing in the middle of a raging battle, staring out into the chaos, I have seen so much hate and malice. I’m only a child. Who do I turn to when my elders fight like children? Don’t they ever think about me? Maybe they tell themselves that I haven’t seen them. They tell themselves that what I don’t know won’t hurt me to rid their conscious of the guilt.
I know, and it’s hurting me!
So while this war is raging on all I can do is watch. But I guess I owe the soldiers gratitude for laying my choices so clearly before me. I can either pray to God to lead me away from the storm they have stirred or get caught up and lost in the fray. But either way, for now, I remain caught in the middle: a victim of the crossfire.
