Sunrise. Poem by Carl Roussell

And the sun rises above the horizon,
lighting remains of a battle waged in the night
between adversaries who share the same nation;
caught in a civil war that has torn apart their homes.
Families split in two, with some on one side
the bitter enemies of others who must hide,
till the call of battle raises them to action
in defense of their dreams and aspirations.

Men lie in the mud unmoving,
half submerged in mud unmoving.
A man, my brother, lies unbreathing.
Never will I see him again.

They who survive the malevolence of the night
are further from the answer for the land,
and the children too young to fight today will learn
to hate above all else countrymen not the same
as them, and countrymen who haven't the heart
to kill on native soil not so distant relatives.
Our government speaks to both sides, powerless.
The bombings and killings continue to this day.

Men lie in the mud unmoving,
half submerged in mud unmoving.
A man, my brother, lies unbreathing.
Never will I see him again.