Letters From The Battlefield Poem by Michael G Smith

Dearest love,
Which star are you tonight
I search the heavens
But, still you're a million miles of light

Every minute, every hour the needing desperate
Blinds and drags the hands of time
And waiting, mortal enemy
So forgotten, becomes essential to survive

Each day I must shed the desert sands
Stay the salts of frail tears
To steady trembling hands
In letters spell the hopes and dispel the fears

I stare across the starlit darkness
Wondering which words in this moment I should share
Carefully filter out the horrors
And pretend I'm the same soldier that left you standing there

Bravery seemed not to follow, along with any heroes
But, chaos met me everywhere upon a battlefield
Instinct stood by my side and seemed to hold me together
And a once soft hearted preacher became a harden murder steel

Prayers with in my head and to the open air
But, mostly I speak to someone in the dark
Hoping, for angels to take me home or at least lift me up
Or God's forgiveness as I further play my part

The answers are as a subtle gift
Your locket that burns upon my skin
It is a witness within sweetness
A testimony, love easing the casualties of men

There is little beauty here
As red rises again across the mire
Giving light to killing days
The revelry is a rude awaking of machine gun fire

If I ever truly sleep
My pillow will be of love, in one last letter
Then it is His will that is done
Just remember I was warrior first as husband and as father