The Hero
By Madelyn Lipszyc
Pupils dilated,
inside the mind of a thousand prisoners.
Breathing with integrity,
a hero lies beneath this coat of skin.
Battling but bruised and all worked in-
with armor made of blood, this wounded soldier
counts the days he’s been gone.
Each day a verse in a never ending song.
He anticipates and carries on
like he’s alone at home but everybody’s gone.
Life ripped out from underneath,
warped by the flag of a country’s grief.
He thought his stay would be quite brief
but he’s begging god for some relief
to let him rest
and cease the burning in his chest.
But the blood covers all
in this blasphemous brawl.