A boat once sailed passed a riverbank,
The hull swayed back and forth.
Water splashes on the deck as it lulls by,
Indeed wet, but the water is warm.
The sun burned red like a giant,
And the leaves provide the shade.
Though they had painted the floor below,
So the rays of the sun paved way.
A deep breath in and a deep breath out,
A couple thoughts left today.
A flutter goes by yet there’s no wings,
Heartbeats into decay,
A little bird flies through the wind now,
A brave little creature, it is.
The little bird lands in the tree branch.
The family gone forever, it misses.
The red flower opens its stems,
A bittersweet final moment.
It withers away at the same time,
The air it breathed was potent.
(Short pause)
The soldier looks on in horror,
He beholds all this in a glance.
A moment lasts a lifetime.
He’s lost in a forever trance.
How could one be so heartless?
His gaze falls down to his friend.
He calls his name, but no answer comes.
The truth arrives, nothing to defend.
He falls to one knee and looks further.
The boat used to have a crew.
Beyond the riverbank, a village.
Rubble where a city once grew.
A tear cleaned a streak on his ashen face,
The mark of a disturbed eye.
The same eye that beholds all this mess,
The eye that sees the truth past the lie.
His head falls to his friend once again.
His weapon lay at his side.
He picks it up and takes the safety off.
Aims under his head and shoots the sky.