In the Trench

Allies of darkness, we dance with the light,

Pounding each cry with the certainty of life.

Within our souls, we find the way

Past whistling whips and foreign scapes.

But in the trench, we'd cut right through,

With bitter nights and colder stew.

War raged on, with less to give,

None to gain, and all to lose.

Time begot Herculean tasks,

To beckon our hearts to beat in time.

We ached for sound and joy we knew,

But only our bodies could make it through.

Carved out like gourds and limp from rot,

Stained with the blood of bodies shot.

Long before the victory,

We knew nobody would be winning.

Our weary eyes sought dawning sky

As the sun, ever careful,

Found its way through the fog

To illuminate the shards of us,

Serenade our sullen hearts.

We'd graciously bask. For all we knew,

It was the last reprieve we'd get from the dark.