"The Soldier's Song"
Unto this time calmer tides he had seen,
For a tempest neared the sea, having been
Summoned to fulfill a vow he had sworn.
From the comfort of his life he was torn,
Taken elsewhere, to an unknown land,
To an untold foe, where he would band
Together with many, who the same fate
Share- to near and tread the enemy's gate
Where a brother in arms fell to the ground
By the hatred of an enemy's round.
Such courage did abound
From within his heart, as he heard the sound,
The cry of his brother near to the mound
Of earth that he hurried to surround
And shield the life of his friend with his own.
Of the seeds among battle that are sown,
This deed stands highest among them, alone.
And though in death courage is boldly shown,
Only in love is it best known.
Hence the earth, this day, a canvas was made
Upon which an estranged beauty was laid,
And a garden was sown, which bade
A flustering paradox to be made.
For man's best and worst this field adorns,
And a rose blooms of petals and thorns.
Then the war he lasted, and his friend
He saved and returned home to rest and mend
His broken heart and jaded limbs, too long
Availed. Sated, he sang his weary song
And strived withal to rekindle his lost
Life, as rose flowers beneath the frost.