Fire on the Mountain

Ten Afghan boys
Were gathering firewood
High on a mountainside
Above their village

Two helicopters
Came over the ridge
And fired missiles
Into the midst of them

And then swooped low
Turning their machine guns
On the boys one by one
Till all were dead

All but one
Who fell under a tree
When the missiles hit
And escaped the machine gun fire

Jon Taylor lives in Nashville, TN. He can be reached at taylor.jon440@gmail.com. Read other articles by Jon.