The wind tears at my face with each breeze;

The ground unforgiving, demanding payment for each

step I take; skin clings to cloth while

ghostly whispers beckon in the night as I tread;

no bandage for wounds this deep, blood no longer red, my mind screams

for death, this howls in my head. The grim faces of the morrow

wood show no sign of remorse, their once vibrant children

now reduced to burnt and broken ashes;

least the few remain.

 

To take breath, to inhale a scent,

liquid nitrogen to my lungs, and my nose too numb to care.

Vibrant locks now tense and crisp; the slightest embrace

initiates its demise; eyes that could once see past

valleys and over mountains are nearly blind, beaten and battered,

not even a tear; I cannot cry.

Framework that was once a machine is

reduced to graceless beams and creaky hinges;

the instruments that moved them are as cables

with broken strands;

hanging on by threads; my body hesitantly clings to life.

 

All around me, and what lies in front, brisk darkness, a frozen

jungle of malice and cruel distaste.

Each step growing more reluctant, my heart ready

to throw in the towel; I look once more to the night sky; brightened lights

in glorious formation, and their general in full armor; their silent roars

as coal for my dying core…”Get up”

They whisper to me

Now hushed, motionless, I summon to the forefront

Of my awareness… “I cannot perish”

 

Sensibility now on the rise, gears and pumps begin turning;

the engine that drives them now

booms as thunder, muscles contract with commitment,

and steam now emanates as a celestial aura.

Each breath painful, yet bearable, and wounds once agonizing

now unnoticeable, Power! This feeling surges within every liquid soldier

and electric message carrier in my body; I walk on; now with intent and will.

Not on this day, death will have to wait.