I.
Sacrifice and Solace
Again it’s time to wipe the sweat
With fingers smeared in mud and blood.
A fresh flowing stream o’er the eyes
Which seeps and leaves its mark
Of red - such precious life!
A clenched fist of fearless pain,
Drips thick rosy tears upon the earth;
This cry of blood will not be forgotten.
The curse of blood has stained the earth,
Time will pass, indifference, there’s no rewind.
It’s by your loss that others gain
Your toils, your sacrifice
Your time and experiences
Swallowed by the grave – what will survive?
Your faith and hopes, others do not value;
Your blood is left to dry in vain.
The heart that suffers, aches,
Longs for another heart to heal.
The hardened soul will groan in death with
A love for destruction and of pain.
Peace belongs to the gentle in spirit,
To those who learn to forgive and forget;
A love, reaching out to foes, to calm unrest,
A love, willing to sacrifice priceless blood.
The fallen brethren summon your soul,
Their silent stillness softly speaks,
Surrounds the senses of your heart and mind,
For they have buried you in their eternal cause.
So you carry on fighting,
Reckless, no room for sanity
Or empathy, its life or death, for survival
You’re alone, deluded by the delights of darkness.
Alone, you hoard the treasures you cannot keep.
Remember the souls you have betrayed,
What they have done for you, made your path
To live, for your pleasure, but realise their despair;
They’ve memories you cannot dream to comprehend.
When old and frail, you’ll beg for mercy from their might,
They’ll claim your loot, to leave you dethroned, exposed;
A new life begins, but death awaits the weak.
Time will haunt, memories might do well to fade,
So away in your chase for the living, the fallen
Remain in rest, but behold they will rise to be known!
They lived, and their legend lives on with you,
Their blood has been spilt in an ageless past,
Guilty and innocent, hear them speak!
Calls for revenge, cries for peace, yet the pain
Of bloodshed only thirsts for more.
An endless cycle of brutal blows,
All this, to satisfy the living dead.
A selfish justice which knows no mercy -
It is what they rightly deserved.
Yet your life is undeserved, not
From your own labours or sacrifice for
Others have shed blood for the world you know;
Every life is under another’s grace and mercy.
It is your life, your choice
To care for others who do not care,
Remember the fallen, who never knew you,
They fought for a hope, the hope that lives in you.
The suffering mass cries for an unknown saviour,
They find comfort in foreign hearts
That understand, that feel their depression, and
The perishing - a few find rest in future glory.
Some do not find peace in hope
For they have found none, only a fear
Which is best forgotten and ignored.
Was it not through the sacrifice of others
That brought you your freedom?
And still there are those who long for refuge,
So remember those who drowned in rivers of blood
Before yours began to flow; you are their hope.
The lost cannot blame the dead who believed,
True leaders are never blind, their vision is eternal:
From the time blood was first shed,
The earth knew to speak its pain,
A curse, out of love to learn
Sacrifice, suffering in hope, with an endurance of spirit
Through pain, to find a new heart of grace that heals,
Forgives and restores the peace - one love for all.
27/10/09
N.K.
“They went with songs to the battle, they were young.
Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.
Lest we forget.”
‘Ode of Remembrance’ – excerpt from ‘For the fallen’ by Lawrence Binyon (1869–1943)
II.
Secrets of the dark
Hush! Do not dare to make a sound,
Lest the watchmen strike us down.
Beneath the covers of the devil’s night,
Hear the cackles of forbidden delight.
The crows circle round before they perch,
It’s safe, hidden from the eyes of the church.
And so he comes after the light of day,
For the game that only he knows to play.
Who can mistake the joker’s grin,
Which conceals the guilt that lies within?
Watch! Know the corners where he’ll lurk,
His face is scarred with a constant smirk.
He preys on fears which deceive the mind,
The fear of death, suffering; he turns them blind.
A love for riches, of self and pleasure,
A loss for others, he cannot measure.
So beware friends of the evil one,
Who makes it seem like innocent fun.
I know of some who’ve taken the bait,
Fooled to believe; the sinner’s fate.
Dragged down a pit that has no end,
The fall is freedom so don’t pretend.
There’s only an end if you choose to turn
And face the light which is sure to burn.
A test of fire, who can endure?
Only those willing to be pure,
A price to pay, but worth the cost;
It’s everything for those who are lost.
A diver who darts from the depths will die.
Always patience, with hope and faith rely,
Surely there’s no rush, no fear,
Nor need to panic, the surface is near.
The light will come, but the waters heal,
A gradual shift makes the pain less real.
Behold the view that unfolds the way,
The clouds of darkness release their prey.
Conditioned in the light, there is no pain,
Darkness will flee; it’s the end of their reign.
The time for light and of darkness, split in half,
Hear the endless insanity; the joker’s laugh.
N.K.
28/10/09
III.
A Study of Suspicion
Good morning John,
____I don’t care who you are! Who am I?
________No. It’s Smith, John doesn’t want to see you today.
____Let me out of here, I’m your real doctor, he’s an imposter!
Ok. How are you feeling today?
____Kill him, he thinks you’re crazy.
________Look, they’ve come to lock you up.
____________Do you know who’s trying to kill me?
____No one’s trying to kill you.
I’m here to help.
____Liar. He knows who it is.
________They all hate you.
____________Help me get killed?
____________Is that what you want?
________Where am I?
____You’re in the car John.
Do you know who I am?
________Your face, I’ve seen it before.
________And that ring,
____________Why are you wearing my ring?
________I don’t think you want to hurt him now John.
Do you remember the day you got married?
____Why can’t things be as they once were?
You really don’t know who I am, do you?
________He knows who did it.
________They killed your wife.
____________You killed her.
John, have you forgotten again?
____And how long have we been married now?
Look into my eyes.
____Be patient please, we’re nearly there.
I have to do this if you want to get better.
________No, no, no, no, not again.
________How dare you do this to me?
________You’re one of them!
____________Tell the doctor to take his own drugs!
____You know not every guy has a wife like you do!
I am your doctor; it’s not an easy life to be me.
Anyway, it’s time for you to go back to sleep.
Now this won’t hurt a bit. That’s the way.
________You don’t care at all do you?
____Do to others what you want them do to you.
________You just want to get rid of me.
I’m sorry I can’t do any more. Good night John.
____You’re not sorry at all.
____I thought it was part of your job not to be sorry.
________One day you will be. Or maybe you are?
____________I know you’d rather me not be here.
____________But you won’t say it to my face.
________How nice.
________Yes, the truth hurts sometimes,
________But not that there’s anything I can do about it.
________So, what day is it today?
____I just want to have a little chat,
____To sort our problems out, I don’t think we’ve had a chance till now,
____You’ve been very busy lately, let’s go for a trip.
And sweet dreams!
____________Good timing doctor!
________And you better have a dream about me in heaven.
____I swear John won’t interrupt again.
____Just me and you, yes and Jesus.
____He’s a very good counsellor, didn’t you know?
____He’s the best there is. No, I am not joking.
Sorry, I can’t let you visit John right now,
He’s just taken his medication.
His condition doesn’t seem to improving,
He’s not responding very well,
But I’m afraid he’s lost all his memory before the accident.
________You can’t be serious.
____If only you could understand. Oh help!
____But you know where I am,
____I’ll be waiting for you in heaven.
Do you want to make another appointment?
Sure, we’ll let you know when he makes progress.
I’m sorry about the news but I hope you have a good day.
____It’s going to be a long wait but I’ll see you there then.
____Good bye for now. That’s one way to end our argument.
____No, I am not going to see the doctor!
____________Oh, that’s it I give up.
____________I never knew you could be so stubborn!
____If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be driving in the first place!
________What?!
________Oh, so that’s what happened.
____We should have watched the road.
Well, too late to say sorry now.
____Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.
________It’s never too late if you know what I mean.
____A dead person can’t be sorry as much as a live one?
____Well yes, to you I might be dead already but I’m not.
________Do you believe in a God of the living or of the dead?
____A God who forgives and knows the hearts of those
____Who choose to seek Him,
____Bound by love for an eternity.
Maybe it’s easier to forgive those who are dead.
Am I? I don’t think you have any idea at all.
You can say, I’m somewhere in between,
But living or dead, love your enemies.
I think doctors need to have their own doctors.
You might be able to save lots of people,
But in the end you can’t save yourself.
So please clean up the mess before you go,
Before you’re unable to do anything about it.
I know I’ve left a very big mess. Sorry about that.
I hope you don’t think it was intentional.
Yes, we still need to have that little chat.
I haven’t forgotten.
Funny that, memories of the past,
Pushed out by the present
Who knows if they were real?
Yes, it was all a very bad dream.
And I was just your imaginary friend.
In that case, sweet dreams!
But no dreaming while you’re awake.
And I hope you don’t fall asleep again either.
N.K.
29/10/09
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