A Soldier's Lament

I stand alone
At battle’s end
The gun I hold
My only friend

As I look
Across the plain
Thunder rolls
And it begins to rain

The droplets fall
Across my face
And across the field
We laid to waste

In trenches and craters
Among debris
The water pools
A sight to see

As it runs
It turns to red
With the blood
Of the dead

As I watch
I begin to cry
For my friends
Whom I watched die

I can see their looks
Of agony
As they fell
For victory

For every man
Who died here
I gratefully
Shed these tears

May they be blessed
By God above
For their lives
They gave in love

I fall to my knees
Dropping my gun
Weeping bitterly
For what was done

We came aware
Of what it may cost
But nothing could
Prepare me for this loss

For I alone
Was left alive
On that day
When they all died

I’ll never forget
Their sacrifice
When my comrades paid
The ultimate price

Though their lives are spent
And their spirits gone
I will ensure
That their honor lives on