A Soldier's Death

Electricity crackles through the night
As the soldier before me rests.
Wild eyes flash,
sunken cheeks flare
And yellowed teeth gnash.
Barely a child in the world,
Yet aged beyond all wildest dreams.
Tearfully I watch him flail about
As the memories resurface in his dreams.
Too young for war and death,
And yet too old to live in peace.
Whispering gently in his ear,
I remind him of the life we once shared.
Shakily taking his hand in mine,
Wiping away tears that have escaped.
Tired eyes open and look deep into my own.
For a moment he is the boy I once loved
And no longer the decaying corpse before me.
'I love you' is all he says,
A whisper in the wind,
Floating through the window.
His breathing becomes difficult;
The rattle of death beating against my ears.
As the roaring winds of defeat pound against my temples,
I cry out to the unfairness of the world.
The pain for him is now over,
But for me has been his only begun.
Holding his cooling hands within my own,
Waiting for the doctors to take him away.
'He will know his daddy was a hero'
I tell him, my heart shattering inside
He would never know
He was soon to be a father.