Across the old brick wall of passing years
A soldier sits in prayer against his fears
Surrounded by the gravestones of his youth
And visions that he now sees as the truth;
From people living in a distant land
Who live in fear as hatred’s flames are fanned
Against the girl left waiting on the road
Too frail to rise, yet who will share her load?
To animals surviving in the street
Who know no human kindness, but compete
For morsels and a place to sleep at night.
Amidst the pain who stops to see their plight?
He sees a young boy digging in the dirt
For scraps to fight the hunger pangs that hurt
Much deeper than the soldier’s ever known;
Just like the dog that searches for a bone.
He sees a table’s lonely occupant,
A woman wrapped in robes of discontent
And wonders if the sacrifices made
Will ever help her rise up less afraid.
Beyond it all he dreams of home and love,
A wife and child he’s always thinking of.
Just when he feels that they give way too much,
His spirit will be healed by their soft touch
Yet there’s so much he cannot send away,
A side of life he’s witnessing today
That twists and turns and spreads across his wall.
His inner strength sustained against it all.
© 2013 Pam H. Murray
No comments:
Post a Comment