I fell down
into a field of flowers today
I  found that the petals of the rose
looked more like the rotting limbs
of the putrid dead to me

The buds of spring
reminded me of hope
that would never bloom
even the fresh green grass
took on a hue of despair

I flew from the nest at eighteen
with resolve to never come back
I am thirty-four now, and
after too many women
too many heartaches
too many years as a soldier
I have collapsed back into that nest
my life has rebounded full circle
I am a failure