By Neera Kuckreja Sohoni
A mother (Not a birther) bore you
Cocooned within her for nine laborious months
Guarding you from external or internal danger
Only to lose you
In the service of an unending war
with an amorphous enemy
That lurks behind every corner of that arid unwelcoming land
Where dust gathers on shattered limbs and bodies
And blood is used to water jihadist dreams and hate-spewing greens.
Of what use life when cut off in prime?
Fodder – to senseless rage and
Shredding power of a vile bomb…?
No part of you will return
that can talk to me
Never again
No laughing eyes and embracing arms that can give me strength
No grandkids running around in my backyard calling for mommy or daddy
None in whose eyes I can look for your reflection
No sound ever for your father and me to hark
No phone ring no text message no facebook visage
Just the deafening silence of a senseless loss
A death sentence with full state honors
awarded to us
Consigning us to life without parole
Without execution
No rope, electric chair, or lethal liquid to still our bleeding hearts
But the freedom solely
To live our loss
To mourn a pointless end to a promising irreplaceable life.
Names of 13 bravehearts including 2 women who fell in the terror attack in Kabul:
Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo
Sgt. Nicole L. Gee
Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover
Cpl. Hunter Lopez
Cpl. Daegan W. Page
Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez
Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza
Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz
Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum
Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola
Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui
Navy Corpsman Maxton W. Soviak
Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss
