Blue and Gray
We face each other. Each day the distance between us grows shorter
Sweat and fear drips down my face.
Another day surrounded by the stench of spent powder and death
To my left, caissons move the cannon into place
Made ready to do today's bidding, silencing life at random
I count my rifle balls, each designed to kill my brothers
Like me, struggling to survive another day, mired in despair
Why did it come to this, the hate, the destruction, the finality
We are but men. We fight, we bleed, we weep
Freedom the cause, all men created equal. Die so we shall live
I try to swallow my terror. I am not alone. You can smell it
We are not born to war. We are not brave. We are simply driven
I've seen too much. Fingers of death ripping us apart
Fragments of lives left strewn across so many fields
Yet I live. Am I the lucky one, or are they who no longer hear the cannon
A small boy, hollow eyes, old beyond his years, stands with his drum
Every beat calls another soldier to the field. steady, like a dirge
I'm so tired, my body and my mind both broken
Will I see another sunset, or will my war end today
Which brothers will I join come tomorrow. .
11/15/2011
Copyright © Bob Quigley | Year Posted 2011
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