THE HEROES RETURN.
Long ago my baby left my side
With laughter shining in his eyes
I held him in my arms, that last time
As we said our fond goodbyes.
My younger son, my second born.
This fond memory do I seek
Of a shy quiet smile, his gentle ways
The soft down upon his cheek.
The skin on his chest, as soft as silk
May god protect this child we made.
He thought it a great adventure
He'd be a hero in this crusade.
The months crawled by, I shed my tears
At last, the news for which I yearn
The war is past, the heroes come home,
But my child did not return.
A quiet man sat by my side
With stubble on his sunken cheek.
With black rimmed eyes, a hairy chest,
In this stranger my son I seek.
Will time take away the anguish
Of the horrors that he had seen
As war created this stern faced man
Destroying the child that he had been.
The years pass by, I see my son
From the distance he looks so well
Then I gaze into his eyes, and see the darkness,
The long pathway down to Hell.
I.C.S.Clark.
12.03.93.
