Give Peace a Chance.

Give Peace a Chance.

He carries her close to his heart

With no last goodbye

They conduct

Silent conversations

Individually nuanced

Inherently misunderstood.

Against the background noise.

The lights of a Tent City

Are stretched like Christmas decorations

Hollow reminders

Excavated memories

Dug well in

Foxhole terrors

Spilling out into the night.

Held close to his heart

Passport photographs

Blink under canvas

Extracted from the deep

A wellspring

Of broken dreams

Carried in tin helmets

Hidden in the shadow

Of the lifeless

The flesh and bone

Skeleton

Of a cold city wall

Marks the edge of reason

When taking leave of the senses

Is an everyday occurrence

For traumatised souls

In search of themselves.

Held close to his heart

Lost in transit

Broken apart

Split like an overly ripe fruit

So nearly a windfall.

Barely a witness to life

Children at play

Without intent

Just yesterday.

Picture me this

As the last men fall

In the name of chaos

War is a shooting gallery

Without a cuddly toy

And no bloody prizes

For the shooters,

Only the trauma

Of regret.