Tuesday Poem: “Ordinary Boy” by Michelle Elvy
Ordinary Boy
Jersey (not Jozefow), 2012 (not 1942)
When asked why he did it, the boy
averts his eyes, fidgets. He does not
lie, but he cannot face the truth.
His lip trembles and he shakes
when shown the photos. When
asked to describe his role, he
employs passive voice and
talks about others:
……………………………………..I was told… They insisted….
When pressed for an explanation,
he refers to a chain of command:
…………………………………….I did what they said.
He talks about the older boys,
the way he wanted to belong, the way
he went along. When asked if he
pulled the trigger, he nods
and shrugs.
When forced to talk about
what really happened in the woods,
he cries at the memory –
……………………………………the shallow grave,
……………………………………the waste of life.
He did not want to shoot
the dog, you can tell. There is
no hate in his eyes, no fanatical
glint. He is not accustomed
to such cruelty.
He is an ordinary boy.
.
© Michelle Elvy
Reproduced here with permission
—
About The Poem:
I am currently featuring a series of poems for Tuesday themed around “war” — because I believe poetry often encapsulates the realism of war and has done so, in terms of modern poetry, for the past century. Today I am very pleased to feature “Ordinary Boy” by my fellow Tuesday poet, Michelle Elvy, a poem which presents Emily Dickinson’s ‘slant’ on the forces that give rise to the atrocities committed in war, but which are not necessarily restricted to them.
—
About The Poet:
Michelle Elvy is a writer, editor and manuscript assessor. Besides being a member of the Tuesday Poem collective, she is founder/ editor of Flash Frontier: An Adventure in Short Fiction, and she also edits at Blue Five Notebook. She chairs National Flash Fiction Day and the International Flash Fiction Day Competition, FLASH MOB.
Her work can be found in numerous journals and magazines. She is currently finishing a collection of flash fiction stories set across the historical landscape of Aotearoa New Zealand, thanks to a research grant from the NZ Society of Authors/ Auckland Museum Library.
Michelle is based in the Bay of Islands but her latitude and longitude change regularly these days, as she lives on her sailboat and is presently in Fiji. More about Michelle’s editing and writing here.
—
To read the featured poem on the Tuesday Poem Hub and other great poems from fellow Tuesday poets from around the world, click here or on the Quill icon in the sidebar.
Fabulous poem, Michelle. So understated – that spareness makes it much more powerful.
Should have said thanks to Helen for posting!
Thank you for including this in your ‘war’ series, Helen. I feel very honoured indeed to appear here on your site. And Kathleen, thanks for the comment. Glad you appreciate the subtleties.
I agree with Kathleen 100%, Michelle: am thrilled to be able to share Ordinary Boy on the blog.
Thank you!!
Fantastic poem. Very moving – and I love the use of language
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Charlotte — it’s so spare, but it hits home.