People often asked why we lived there
And we told them that the views were spectacular
And the property values were a steal
And the odds of the worst happening were so low
And if you just didn’t think about it
It was the most pleasant place to walk and talk
And so we walked and talked
We had favorite spots
And paths we carved out ourselves
And almost without thinking
We stepped around bulges in the earth
Without commenting on why
And yes, it was dangerous
And yes, it was frightening
But we never showed each other so
And the knowledge that every step
Could bring destruction
Just made every word more valuable
And every sight more precious
And each other’s company sweeter
And every time we went to see the other
Our hearts filled up so high with fear and joy
That we could see it in each other’s faces
Until one day as we walked
We heard a distant explosion
And she asked me, What was that?
And I said
It was a mine
And then I looked her in the eye and said
We are standing in a minefield
And I felt like I had made a mistake
Because now we couldn’t act like it was fine
But we also didn’t want to leave
So we found a map
And carefully planted flags
A flag beside every mine
And god, there were so many
And now we saw how close we had come
How we had walked so close to them
How some of our favorite places were lined with them
And we still walk and talk
But we can’t enjoy the view
Because our eyes and our hearts are always in the earth now
On the flags we can’t ignore
And all the flags seem to scream at us now
You are walking in a minefield
And every step could be your last
But now it’s a threat and not a promise
Because neither wants to see the other hurt
So we walk softly now, talking less, staring at the ground
And never at each other
No longer able to think clearly
And the knowing is now worse than the willful ignorance
And we never stray from the few safe paths we know
And then one day we come to the path to the hill
So thick with wildflowers that it looked like a garden
With a view that never once got old
We loved that place the most
And now, we saw, so crowded with flags
That we were shocked we had ever survived
For once we stared at each other, sadly
And we started to turn away
But I stopped, looked her in the eye again
Then slowly stepped forward between two flags
Not two feet apart
And turned to see if she would follow