This poem questions the cruelty and
futility of war from the perspective of soldiers who lose their lives on the
front lines. Beneath the banners of national causes and commands from authority
lie sacrifices that often lead only to disappointment and unfulfilled
objectives. In the poem, the “dead” themselves speak, revealing the stark reality of war and the
emptiness of giving one’s life for a meaningless
struggle. It also reflects on the consequences of authoritarian power that
intensifies repression, and on how the grief of ordinary people may one day
become the force that transforms society.
“Repression or Collapse”
Who holds the choice?
Soldiers on the battlefield struggle in
defeat and lose their lives.
The dead speak.
Beyond the life-and-death struggle
lie deep disappointment and fierce anger.
The despair of defeat—
having failed to accomplish the mission
even at the risk of life.
The bitter shame
of seeing one’s
honor stained even after death.
They learned
their sacrifice was a meaningless death.
The dead spoke:
Soldier—
as long as you live, flee the front line.
Even if imprisoned, it will not be forever.
Even if you endure the humiliation of
captivity, live on.
If cursed, ask yourself: rebellion or ruin?
The dead continue to speak.
A silent return home.
Family and friends—do not let your tears
run dry.
Clench your fists and swear through your
tears.
Turn those fists toward the shameless
who began this needless war.
If repression grows stronger,
there remains only the accusation raised
beneath the banner of revolt.
The dead return to the soil.
They are buried in the earth.
The chamomile flowers laid upon the coffin
soothe the warrior who has departed.
I want to believe
in the strength born from enduring hardship
and rising from adversity.
Grief will become the people’s power
to open the way after the war.
Beyond dictatorship awaits
the imprisonment of a mad ruler
and the collapse of the regime.
The final message of a comrade:
Why here…
I don’t want to die…