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Contests : War Poetry Contest : Past Winners : 2004 : G. Lloyd Helm
LUCIFER ON AIR STRIKES
The jets! How beautiful they are!
Like arrows thirsty for hearts blood.
Birds so smooth in flashing speed
That flesh and feathered beasts
Which fly by hearts labor are nothing!
These other birds, these jets -
They fly by fire!
They consume in rav'ning gulps so swiftly taken
They are passed before they can be seen.
Those other birds just live -
Sowing seed of grass and flower
Which grow and bend beneath the driving wind.
And they continue!
They renew themselves and all the filthy grass
Which greens the earth -
But the other birds - the jets -
The flowers that they sow do not renew.
They burst and roar and spread on gusts of wind
which they create,
When Napalm blooms upon the waving grass.
A wind which bends all things before it,
And carries a perfume so sweet it cannot be forgot
Through all eternity.
They bring eternity, the jet sown flowers,
Ushered in with orange and crimson petals
Of delicate devouring flame as ravenous for earth
As streaking jets are hungry for the sky.
Wondrous birds! Delicious blossoms!
Reeking buds in damnation's door yard
Carried to the earth on back swept wing
With blazing hearts and empty souls.
And when the fires bloom I smile
Remembering that when creatures burn
I am nearer than any other time.
I am marvelous near.
This poem won an Honorable Mention in the 2004 War Poetry Contest sponsored by Winning Writers. Author G. Lloyd Helm received a $50 award. Copyright is reserved to the author.
About G. Lloyd Helm
G. Lloyd Helm is a 56-year-old philosopher and ne'er-do-well scribbler.
He has been writing for thirty years and has published poetry.
Two of his chapbooks are available from MousePrints
Publishing.
Of course there have been other things that supported his writing because,
as we all know, anyone who thinks they will get rich, or even feed themselves on a regular basis with their
writing is more than likely destined to disappointment. To support his writing he has held a lot of jobs,
of which the most important has been house husband and father, but also including carpenter,
laborer, cement finisher, taxi driver, radio disk jockey, actor, cook, teacher, and guitar bum.
But chiefly he has supported himself by having married well.
His wife is a retired US Air Force Master Sergeant. He has lived several spells in Europe -
three years in Spain near Madrid (1977-80), four years near Frankfurt (1983-87), and three years near Venice (1993-96).
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