On the Wall

On the Wall a soldier's lament Amid the dark of night when drunks Cease their raucous noise Murky dews come once again Upon the wall of stone Standing in doorways shadow Hearing Earth in its turning and aging timbers in their moan I sense the rose petal hue of dawn Peek its eye on the edge of a mourning sky I will to survive another night so that my bones Might embrace again the warm before I die The watching having been worth the while My tour of duty over, I could then go home. Author notes: ('They also serve, who stand and wait'.) John Milton