A Valiant Soldier Reaching

A soldier reminisces before the inevitable.

Miles, miles away on a lonely porch

Sits my mother with a flickering torch

Knits my initials on a handkerchief, waiting

But does not hear her valiant soldier calling

She sees the same stars of memories I do

But does not see this dark sky falling

A war born of cracks between the human’s will

The world of trust, bliss and hope shattering

She looks at the fireflies dancing around her

And does not see the embers of my dreams fluttering

Even as she raises her hands for the prayers of my safety

She cannot find the fates of mercy listening

Even as I fall down, crushed under the vanity and betrayals

All she can hear is a gentle dove wailing

She awaits the sounds of hoofs on the road back home

But doesn’t realize that my journey is already ending

Away from home, clutched in the talons of my last enemy

All I can see is the compassion on her face smiling

Miles, miles away on a lonely porch

Sits my mother with a flickering torch

Knits my initials on a handkerchief, waiting

But does not see her valiant soldier reaching.