An old man in an old field, weary, beaten, broken

Soft breaths so shallow, so deep, whispering words seldom spoken

Eyes closed, fluttering, still

Blind to the field and the night's cold chill.

 

Though the words spoken were silent, soft, and quiet

They spoke of terror, an inside riot

Spilling secrets with barely a sound

Infusing them with the deep profound

 

"There he lies, cold, buried, dead,

Gone not from ailment, but from murder instead

I pulled the trigger, and then he was gone

Past all barriers he trekked on and on." 

 

"I fought for what I thought was right,

I did what I could with my narrow sight,

But still I am stricken with this ancient grief

And I doubt I will never again know relief."

 

The stars, which never rest,

Cycling ever from trough to crest

Took heed of this old man broken

Listening to the words seldom spoken.

 

The woods, too, chose to hear

From the trees to the rocks to the lonely deer,

All became quiet, silent, still,

And all ignored the cold night's chill.

 

"All life is holy, all life is sacred,

All must live their lives before they join the dead,

So say the wise men, the monks, the priests

Those who give the most yet have the least."

 

"I have violated this most honored creed

With this most atrocious deed

So please help me heavens and those bound to earth

Before I choose to reverse my birth."

 

The words he spoke faded into the night

Vibrations never seen again by ear or by sight

And once again all was quiet, silent, still

As if frozen by the night's cold chill.

 

But then the silence echoed deep and far away

Reverberating stillness, out there in the gray

A hallowed voice that seemed to come from everywhere

Or did it come from nowhere? 

 

The sanctions of the soul are the tethers of the heart

No one law can bind all things

For even doctrine written in stone can be weathered by storm

A life lives with all other lives, so much is true,

So to kill the other is to kill the self

But to allow others to kill, maim, and destroy by acting not

Is to also kill, maim, and destroy…perhaps

We cannot ever really know the merit of our actions

For there is no absolute right or eternal wrong

There is only the right and wrong of the moment

And how its perceived

So fear not punishment, judgment, and death

You fought for what you thought was right

And that's all we can ask of you

Thats all anyone can ask of you