You may or you may not know that the movie The Hurt Locker was inspired by a poem. The poem is from Brian Turner’s first collection Here, Bullet. Turner is a US Army veteran. He was stationed in Bosnia Herzegovina and Iraq.
The Hurt Locker
Nothing but hurt left here.Nothing but bullets and painand the bled-out slumpingand all the fucks and goddamnsand Jesus Christs of the wounded.Nothing left here but the hurt.
Believe it when you see it.Believe it when a twelve-year-oldrolls a grenade into the room.Or when a sniper punches a holedeep into someone’s skull.Believe it when four menstep from a taxicab in Mosulto shower the street in brassand fire. Open the hurt lockerand see what there is of knivesand teeth. Open the hurt locker and learnhow rough men come hunting for souls.
Here’s Turner reading his poem and explaining its title.