Libertas

Crawling through the dirt, grime.
Minutes that seem to never end.
Sweat turns to filth, to slim
As nerves twist and bend.
His objective becomes unclear
Through smoke fire and metal.
Kisses of death fly past their ears.
Scrambling for safety, a place to settle.

Rods of metal pop and stutter,
Clouds of fire flash and plume.
The wings of angels seem to flutter
Lives, cut short, in bloom.
Breathing in short, painful spurts.
Thunder shakes their bones.
The ground leaps in fountains of dirt.
Fire hurled in the shape of stones.

Suddenly hell’s banshees cry
And fall like Zeus’s thunder.
Fire falls from the sky
Spilling their ruinous plunder.
Bodies torn and thrown about
A horrible sight indeed
They all have copper in their mouths
And death kiss packages at their feet.

Gagging on the morbid air
Only the dead lie still.
Godless men pray their final prayer
Cries of agony shrill.
Rising up on bruised feet they run
Into darkness, into night.
Putrid air fills their lungs
But through it all they fight.

Brothers run side by side
Serving with every breath
They join him for one final ride
With pride the ride towards death
Suddenly, above the ground,
With wings of iron, steel
Glorious birds swing down
Punishment, they deal.

Tattooed on their wings,
a white star.
“FOR FREEDOM” it sings,
“FOR FREE WE ARE!”
The enemy flees
Crying out in pain
Like a vagrant breeze
Never to be felt again.

So “FOR FREEDOM” we cry
With tears and laughs.
To respect those who’ve died
On our behalf.