Surrounded by mud
our feet make love to the surface

the bullets kiss us, the bayonets hug
our intestines and the blankets
cuddle with our cold, decaying corpses

we write to our wives, letters that will never be delivered

the wet ground gives our feet an unpleasant present
in the form of gangrene, the rats
make themselves at home feasting upon the rotten
flesh of fallen comrades while the maggots make use
of newly formed skulks and aged decaying bone

then comes the symphony of artillery
the roar of gunfire, the marching of tanks
the mighty foot soldiers, and
the majestic golden smoke of mustard gas

the trenches become our unwanted love
and unholiest of homes, "the tears do not shed
the blood does not spill, and the soldier does not die"
is the common the battle cry sung upon us
constantly by our commanders

but on the contrary
these bitter notes of blind fate forever sing to us
the illusion of life and the irony of war.....

I almost fell
But no arms were open to catch me.
I almost held your hands
But yours just slipped away.
I almost looked you in the eye
But you turned to stare the other way.
I almost kissed your eyes
But you kept it close.
We're almost a connection
But you cut strings, lost threads.
I almost believe that once upon a times end in happy ever afters
But fairytales are myths
Just like an us that won't ever exist.
I almost love you.
I'm almost there.
Almost.
But almost wasn't worth the risks.
It wasn't enough.
And it would never be.

Tonight, I will forget
And leave the memories
Of you
And all about you
On the shore.
I will let the waves
Wash every fragment
Of your smile
And smell
Because my love,
I want to see again
How the sun rises
Over the horizon.
I want to feel
How the sun touches
My cheeks.
I want to travel
The world
And marvel
At the beauty it holds.
I want to run
And feel alive again
On every splash
Of wind
On my face.
My love,
Though I cannot love less
Than I feel for you,
I must forget you.
I must leave you.
You have been
A handcuff,
I can no longer write.
You have been
A blindfold,
I can no longer see the light.
You have been
A shackle to my feet,
I cannot move on and be released.
Tonight, I will let
Myself be drowned
With tears of you
For the last time.
I will let
Myself be caged
Inside the cocoon
Of your painful memories
Because tomorrow,
I will fly.