Hearts Shell-Shocked Poem by Frank Witte

'Why do you take that warrior pose'
she asked as an early morning rose
'Always you speak of battles lost and found
but you're a peaceful guy and I'm slightly astound'.
And you talk about swords in your hand
and of the, sometimes broken, armor you wear.
But isn't life more that an endless fight to defend
... aren't you to cheerful for doing battle everywhere? '

So I looked into her eyes,
searching for the answer she deserved.
Ommitting any sweet talk, any white lies,
this is what I hope she has heard:

'It is the will to live that makes me speak this way.
Armor is not only worn by those who have an urge to defend.
It is also for those who have a life to give away,
but who enter the field of battle with only a single body to spend.

Every real battle is to gruesome and I hate every notion of war.
But Love is a battlefield, I guess you have heard that one before.
Haven't you heard stories of all these men and women, injured and maimed?
Whose love, trust, self-esteem and lives perished in an ill-love's flames?

I feel I know to many of those and so I can no longer pretend
that for every one there is always peace and true love in the end.
I have seen to many relationships without a hero to save the day
in which the lives of people are like corpses waisting away.
And I know so many who will never seek such a battle again
as they lay blame on themselves with hearts weary of pain.
And either they watch how love from their life slowly recedes,
or battle engulfs them by complete surprise leaving them to bleed

Life is really not just about sweet sunrise, true romance and love sublime,
it's also about entrenched love, shell shocked hearts and dreams left to die.

We all know that in one or another way
but I fear what we often forget to say;
that in reality we need to put up a fight
if we seek to pass from this dark into light.

Well, I'll never give up on love so for battle I ready my gear
and although I will wet my pants stricken by fear
when from a far it is love's battle cry I hear;
I hope that always I will answer that call.
Should it happen one day that into darkness I fall

Then know my bliss...
it was merely this...

That in the flash of a second before death came
at least a thousand times I kissed your name.