A sniper is a waiter.
You wait for the target,
You wait for the sunset,
You wait for the sunrise,
You wait for the rain to stop,
You wait for the wind to blow.
Sometimes, you wait for hours,
Then, everything is over in seconds.
Most of the time it is a fruitless wait.
The gun is a lifeless too.
But a good sniper,
Can put a pulse on it.
Bullet knows no mercy.
Too many killings
Makes your heart
Cold steel.
Bullets are like savings,
Spent wisely.
A gun is like a lady.
The less you know about her,
The more you fall for her.
Not precisely,
A gun is like a man.
The more you know him,
The better he can protect you.
I tell you,
A sniper heart is a lonely hunter.
Hapsburg bailiff Gessler’s hollow kow-tow;
was a farce William Tell would disavow.
A hat on a pole! I'll never bow.
Such disregard tagged him, non-compliant
in a poem told by William Bryant -
William Tell was the one most defiant.
His snub of the snob gave reason to dread
Tell must shoot an apple from his son’s head.
"Now off to prison!" Boss Gessler then said.
Mountain man in prison swallowed his doubt
dreaming of freedom's well-followed route.
Swiss subjection he would soon hollow out.
January 15, 2021
inspired by William Cullen Bryant's poem, William Tell,
Legendary hero of Swiss independence.
A hot tempered man
Disobedient marksman
Aiming for danger
Russell Sivey
Once there was a marksman
He was in the woods to hunt
He met a snipe as he was on his way.
Snipe said “don’t hunt my kids if you confront them”
As they have gone in the forest to play”.
The marks said, “ Alright”
He took a few steps and came back
He asked the snipe, “But how shall I know they’re your kids?
Tell me something about what they look like?”
Or any other marks on their bodies?
Oh, Marksman, they’re the most beautiful kids!
Nodding not to shoot them, went on his hike
When he returned to the same spot
Where he has met the snipe
He held a string of young snipes
Looking at the string holding her own kids
The snipe started crying looking at her dead kids.
Oh, why didn't you shoot me in my kids’ stead?
I’ve shot the ugly I could find instead.
The snipe said “Woe to me, don't you know” fool”?
Moms think their children the most beautiful”.
+++++++
June 21, 2014 (Originally posted on 11/23/11)
Form : Free Verse
Dr. Ram Mehta
Second Place Win
Contest: Story poem by Carol Eastman