He knelt upon the battlefield
Stared at the barren ground
No quarter asked or given
No mercy here he'd found
Here he'd lost his youth
Here he'd stood the test
Here the churning fear within
By courage he'd supressed
THe signs of war lay deep around
They spoke of emptiness inside
This was where his innocence
Had bravely fought and died
This was where he changed
From the thing he used to be
Into a Soldier tried and true
Cursed with a memory
This had been his battle
A crude and bloody sight
But it would no way compare
With the things he'd see each night.
DJB 2010