renaissance lights

You wanted the life filled streets

Like venice with its orange and yellows

And blues with turquoise

Especially the blue sky with creamy whites

You wanted the river there,

Smooth and quiet

With the apartment windows open to the night

The sound of people walking the cobbled streets

And you from above looking from the stars

Down below at the sparkling lights on the river

Smiling high above on your joyous ride

You wanted to look out your backyard

You wanted to see a playland there

Like the one with the life filled streets

But instead you saw the aftermath

You saw the bombing

You saw the mindless killings of innocent people

And your life filled streets were shattered down below

Instead of the sound of people walking the cobbled streets

Instead of them standing at their windows

They were barricaded

You looked down below at the river from above

And you saw it filled with blood

You wanted to look out your back yard 

To see the children laughing and playing

Instead you saw the aftermath of the bombing

You saw the devils' grin on the empty streets

You bled out on the dirt of a foreign land

Your glazed eyes stared past the one who held you

You quivered once and then again and left,

No one there to hold you to their breast

for your last exhaled, 

borrowed air of breath