by Ermanno Barone
The way you used to, for I lie awake tonight,
Resting on my cot, pining for your love. Enticing
Scenes of your past glances, our wild romances
Flash upon my inward eye, though vast expanses
Separate us, and I miss you so.
Touch me with your smile, here in the midst of death
And battle and constant rattle of mortal rifle fire.
The sounds of guns and cannons' roar
Unnerve my senses and cannot ignore,
The pain I feel around me, as children
Scream and mothers weep at the battle's havoc
Just outside. Yes touch me with a smile,
That inviting expression of your style.
Here no laughter is ever heard, only death at every turn,
As bombs explode and limbs are torn
From broken bodies daily strewn on streets
Blood splattered and worn.Amid these horrid sights
Of death and thunderous destruction I see a distant light,
It helps me bear the burden of the night.
Touch me with your voice, as army tanks clank by,
As grenades explode neath a sun that shines no more
On countless innocents who bleed or die
In this omnipresent din of war.
Touch me with your extended hand,
That soft sensation like an angel's wand.
Ten thousand miles of sea and sand
But ever near me you always stand.
Yes touch me, touch me when you dream
Now that I'm gone, I need the comfort of your being
Close to me. Amid explosions and uproar I await the dawn,
I sleep alone while death nocks at my door.
My brothers soothe their deadly plight,
And fill the emptiness of the night,
With tales of comrades whom this day
Lost their lives and passed away.
Some more fortunate, merely bleed
With bandaged limbs they lie in bed.
Others wondering if they'd walk again,
Or see the sky or catch the rain,
Or see their loved ones once again.
So touch me as you dream
My thoughts are of you back at home.
Touch me now, give me your hand I feel alone.
Mid this horror of death and suffering I will survive.
It is the void I can't ignore, that sense of emptiness
I can't endure. I need the comfort of your love,
So touch me when you dream and I'll be sure.
~
Copyright © 2007 - Ermanno Barone
Published: 3/22/07 · Author's Page · Next Poem