\nWord Count: 246<\/p>\n
It hurts, God, it hurts bad. Lord, I don\u2019t want to die.<\/em><\/p>\n It didn\u2019t hurt, of course, dying of old age, loaded with morphine by nurses who spoke softly as if to ready their patients for angels.<\/p>\n Oh Mary, I\u2019ll miss you so much!<\/em><\/p>\n Had he been aware of time, the old man would know that Mary was already long gone.<\/p>\n It was in the great war over in Europe, where gardens spilled into the fields from stone houses and the angels were the young French girls of the night. The soldier lay staring up at a blue, blue sky where gunsmoke like clouds wisped with the breeze. He was down to one leg he could feel, the other lay shattered and bleeding. His stomach was burning. Each breath ached with sweet pain. He was dying and before he passed out he started to cry.<\/p>\n The blue sky turned white. Gone was the scent of wheat and Sweet William. At least he wouldn\u2019t be dying alone. His mother would never forgive him for going, but his dad and Mary would understand. He wondered what life he was leaving; forgetting he\u2019d lived it for years.<\/p>\n The nurse held his hand at the end, whispered lies about God and country. Yes, Private,<\/em> she said, you did your job and we\u2019re proud.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" WAR BEFORE PEACE Word Count: 246 The old man was a shiver or so short of death. He lay in a hospital bed mumbling prayers to a God he was hoping was there. It hurts, God, it hurts bad. Lord, … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/susangibb.net\/blog3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/011.jpg\" "\\"Premier")
<\/a>The old man was a shiver or so short of death. He lay in a hospital bed mumbling prayers to a God he was hoping was there.<\/p>\n