End Of The Road

This was the end of the road
Two different paths we had trodden
To meet up just before the end
We were two strangers leaning
Against each other
For we didn’t have the strength
To stand on our own.
Our hands met trembling
Fingers intertwined
I looked into your eyes
And you into mine
Through the dirt grime and blood
I could make out that you were a pretty woman.
You pressed my hand for reassurance
And I yours
In this sea of despair
We created an island of love and peace.
Oh where was my pretty wife
And three children?
I did not know
You too should have surely lost a husband
And children to this terrible war.
There were milling bodies everywhere
Loud wailing in anguish and
Most of all the fear was
Like a fog all around us
And so was death, immanent and certain.
Across the field
I could see scared faces
Peering over long rifles
At us.
They were the enemy
Young lads,
Maybe as old as my eldest boy
Our hell was soon to end
And theirs only to begin.
Oh woe unto you
Motivators of hatred and war
What achievements would you have
Over the suffering of your fellow men
What logic can sooth your minds
And give you sleep and peace.
As through a haze I heard the barking of an order
By the last of our will
We stood straight and tall
Two strangers yet lovers beaten not broken
Time stood still
To honor us
The bullets spewed out of their guns
But took a long time in reaching
For in that gap,
We had left and gone to heaven.