The Second War

The flames lick hungrily, growling
Over the ruins of friends, home, all
I stand in ash, bare burned feet
Stare at crumbling faces and walls.

The invaders near, voices bloody
I feel the old passions rise
Cold, weary arms but strong heart,
Weak back but unflinching eyes.

I have been here before
A place much like this:
Good friends, loved ones,
Betrayed and lost by a kiss.

It all goes back to the first death
The first loss of life and home.
A ship of love, a ship of lies,
As lost to me as this stone.

There was trust there, trust betrayed,
Like here, the battle cold:
Brutal words, harsh whispers,
Truth dead, left untold.

I see him now, face sneering.
He thinks me easily won.
I clutch my cane and shout his name,
And again, the fight is begun.

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