Bright, and searching portals
seeking the innocence of his world
fascinated by all he saw, he learned,
as before him life unfurled

The world before him opened wide
There was much for him to see
a defender of his country
He was sent to fight across the sea

Through these eyes he saw his war
Just a lad of nineteen years
there he had lost the clarity of youth
Behind a veil of tears

The eyes of wonder turned to eyes of rage
as he fought amongst the hell
that soon shattered the windows of his soul
The day his Brothers fell

During this time of times
The eyes of youth had turned to stone
Hardened by red blood and clay
by his Nation he was disowned

In the white heat of his battle,
among the deafening roar of war
through eyes that saw the round that hit
he lay dying at deaths door

Held tight in the arms of a brother
in silence they both cried
A time of times upon the earth
ended with vacant eyes

Time may dull the windows
Of eyes that once were young
there was a time, of times, years ago
where these windows reflected the sun

The sun reflected off our eyes
because the mirror of our soul
glazed over with horror experienced -
turning young men into old.

Fingers that gently caressed loved ones;
hands that held a baby safe and warm
now needed an ounce of pressure
to change a human shape and form

With the curved smoothness of the trigger
stroked as gently as a lovers touch
spewing forth the moment’s climax.
Cold sweat mingled with blood and guts.

When even thoughts were absent
     and numbness the alternative to fear
and you never heard a thing
     and you cried without a tear
and you knew of no tomorrow
     and were not certain of today
and the canvas bag was waiting
     to carry you away
and your friends were all just yelling
     to get their adrenalin rush
and your mind just kept on telling them
     to shut the hell right up
and the smell of cordite powder
     caused a sneezing death inside
and the fumes of smoke from signals
     were the reason that you cried
and the noise was deadly silent
     while you prayed for just the sound
and you knew for bloody certain
     that you wouldn’t hear that round
and you listened really closely
     but you never heard a thing
and you knew you were a goner…

Then the darkness stole the shadows;
nothing more to see
and silence stole the life of noise.
You could once more be.
But the earthquakes inside your world
sent shocks right to your brain

And God, you knew,
you really knew
you’d never be the same!