Last Moments

The ashes, taunting, twisting to and fro,

appear to shy away from sulfurish

and fleshy pustules on a street aglow

with fits of flame. A soldier's final wish --

to see his infant bouncing on his knee --

is dissipating in a bleak array

of lifeless space, a tumult of debris

on blackened fields where children used to play

a world apart from fiery battlegrounds.

And now, with silv'ry morning dancing through

the silhouettes of scattered ruins, and sounds

of mourning doves ascending to renew

their vigil, breezes gather to implore

the gentle doves to soothe the pain of war.