Category Archives: Sceptre

The infantryman’s spade is a symbol of his relationship with the earth. Our eyes are drawn to the assault rifle but he spends more time digging than he does fighting. However, once the conflict’s rolled away, the earth, once life-preserving, changes character. On August 15th, 1998, the Irish Times’ Padraic Convery, reporting on unexploded ordnance in Laos, wrote that: ‘In one village an entire familyContinue reading “When I am laid in earth – Kevin Powers’ Letter Composed During a Lull in the Fighting”