Back Where I Belong

I just got out of war.
I’ve killed thousands of men for my king.
The bloody bodies are slammed to the ground
from the impact of bullets tearing through them.
I have no choice but to step over the corpses on the ground,
to load my rifle and continue fighting.
Day after day, battle after battle, until finally,
I am free.
The air no longer smells like gun powder,
and I can see the bright blue sky
instead of only the haze of smoke.
I had forgotten what it was like
to hear a woman singing, the soft melody soothing my soul.
The desperate screams and loud shots I am used to
fade away as I listen to the sounds of dishes banging together,
a child’s begging voice,
a mother quietly humming.
The sounds of family that I had forgotten.