Tears Of Joy!

It was truly a desert place,

Where men tried to take;

A brother's life!

It was truly a barren space,

Lying in the wake,

Of war, and strife!

Oh! Of war, indeed, the cost was great;

Peace lost; a land, with beasts all around.

Yet now, that fires-they would never abate.

No more tranquil bird songs-

Of guns and knives, the only sound!

Loss of life was the least cost.

To think; they lost the ability.

All love and compassion were lost.

Oh! They had lost their humanity!

From men, they turned into machines,

Their master's orders, they had to fulfil.

And once trapped into those evil, schemes-

They had been trained only to kill.

They entered the forests as innocent youths,

They left battle-scarred, if they left at all.

Alas! All war participants must bear the fruits,

Of war: which is, man's downfall.

And a bitter fruit, indeed it was.

Though they learnt how to survive,

And to fight: for the unjust cause.

They, never could, inner peace find.

All this went through the mind,

Of the man, who patrolled in the night.

His company was hoping to find,

Some of their foes, who had,

Sought them, by daylight.

On which side they were,

It does not matter; suffice to say,

Their weapons were drawn, in their fear,

Stealthily, they went on their way.

They finally found their quarry,

They found the men they sought.

And woe betide this story,

Under the bloodied moon, they fought.

They came in, with guns blazing.

Men, like rudely picked flowers, dropped.

That man kept on gazing,

Until the shooting stopped.

He thought, the dead to be blessed;

At least for them, this was the end.

They, the living, were cursed,

For, their fate, compared to the dead, was worse.

He was a man with some remnant,

Of, what it takes, to be a man.

All human emotions were not yet spent;

Compassion and humanity had in his heart: a place permanent.

So when he saw an injured face,

He would not shoot him and go.

For, he saw the injured, with grace,

Speaking, a silent tale, of woe.

On that dark deed, his conscience frowned.

The resisting body he shouldered;

And though his shoulder the burden felt,

Although for a moment he faltered.

Yet his burden had eased,

For he had best played the part, he was dealt.

He cared for the man; for his view,

Of war and all else, was changed.

Glad was he, for he was one of the few,

Who peace, truly knew

And was not, by war's madness: deranged.

Such was his noble thoughts;

For he felt that, unlike the living,

The dead were for peace, thinking!

Yes! His mind was differently wrought.

Though, some had a more fanatical view.

And when he was with, silent eyes, thanked,

His eye's held tears of joy.

And while the other one saw, distraught; his knife descend,

His eyes too held tears of joy.

One happy in killing;

The other: happy to be killed.

One happy to be giving,

The other's: fatal, wish-fulfilling.

And what was the saviour's great reward:

He would see no more mountains,

Seas, nor flowers in glorious sword!

But, instead, everlasting peace was his award,

And his soul was saved- the glorious home of God.

His last act done, in true service of the lord!

Thus both had their dearest wishes; upheld.

Both at peace: with what, their eyes beheld.

One to live and the other to die;

Yet both had, tears of joy; in their eye.