The Dragon Poem by Gert Strydom

Far to much suffering did I see
and scared people flee
to get away from the terror
and to be free from the tyranny
that war brought on.

It feels as from eternity
my soul was strong full of energy
but now after the war
the demons remain
and leaves greater pain
than scars made by weapons.

But still who really knows
and understand man,
are awed by the mysteries
of life and death,
knows the nature of humanity
and what it really means to be free?

Some say that freedom
is eternal vigilance,
others that it’s a belief
or the right of action
without restraint,
others that knowledge
brings it on,
but I know that its price is high
and paid in blood
in battles fought
and that war leaves a mark
and in my soul,
the dragon devours me.