Their lips are moving and their eyes meet mine
I nod and smile a semblance sublime
The King Laughs so I laugh back
I yearn for emptiness off the beaten track
I’m forty now was nineteen then
From boys to soldiers from soldiers to men
Some judge some pity some laugh some hate
Some threaten me with God and the pearly gate
The left say killer the right say hero
I say `LEAVE ME` my tolerance zero
I walk through the forest then sit all alone
For a minute I feel peace away from human scorn
I watch a small bird with grass in its beak
It’s lands by my foot so beautiful but meek
It fluffs out it feathers and looks straight in my eye
Why can such innocence cause a grown man to cry?
I’m assaulted back to reality by two low flying planes
Curled up in a ball back at Fitzroy again
That minute of peace seemed more like an hour
I will cherish those seconds like a sin cleansing shower
The woods getting darker wind making trees moan
I feel cold but no fear in the dark all alone
As I trudge back to my car a bird chirps from the mist
A smile breaks my lips while clutching the grass in my fist.
© Tony McNally