Dead in the trenches

In some ways

it can mean more

when the person you soldiered next too,

battled in the client trenches with

tells you just how sorry they are

to see you go. 

Blindsided, pincer maneuvered, blasts

fired.

No one can guess who lays face down in the mud

until the smoke clears. 

Except for the man

with his finger on the trigger. 

Friendly fire.

by Kara Rowan, The Hustle Horrors Series

For more information on The Hustle Horrors Series, click here. Note that the image used in this blog post was created with the AI tool Midjourney in early 2023. Since creation, I have learned more about the harm AI inflicts on the environment and on artists, and have not used AI generated art since.

This poem is a work of fiction. Names, characters, business, events, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events or companies is purely coincidental.