A lullaby

Sleep my little one,
That noise was just a gun,
Sleep my little one,
The war has just begun.

A house in shambles we rest,
Your cradle against the wall,
'tween the fumes and the stench of blood,
Dream of life through it all.

A few more years I pray you live,
Long enough to walk and run,
A few more times, nights you slumber,
And wake in the morn to leap for the sun.

And if your lungs still want to breathe,
At the cusp of life as a man,
I hope you find your first true love,
And stand upright as you watch her leave.

I see you, your back arched straining,
Muscles tense, as you try to hold back the wind,
Resolute against the unstoppable gale,
On your knees, I see your energy draining.

I pray that you are as strong,
To fight the losing battles of love and life,
To stand tall against the wrong,
Albeit succumbing to the strife

There I see your eyelids droop,
With the burden of the years to come,
There I see the rhythmic rise and fall,
Deep sleep my son, the spoils of war

Hold high your head your flag,
Hold close your heart your faith,
Hold tight the truth, tis a last hope,
For Justice here is a slippery slope

And know I always watch over thee,
And so doth your mother from heaven,
In life, in Death, on land and sea
You are never too far away from me.

So sleep my little one,
For here is a man who points a gun,
Sleep my little one,
Your life has just begun...