Brotherly Love

Those who live forever bonded round a fire and hearth, spin their tales Are stories truly worth the cost of a poor mother's cries and wails

Two friends upon a battlefield

one left on the ground as he dies

In a foxhole, the other sits

listening to his mate's poor, cries

 

The first man wanted to save his mate

but the Sergeant said, not to go

"You'll only kill yourself instead"

"I can't leave him that's all I know"

 

The Sergeant went to turn away

as the first man dove from the hole

"I have to save my friend," he said

"if it costs my immortal, soul"

 

Minutes later he slid back in

clutching his dead friend, in his arms

Mortally wounded, he was now

blood was pouring, from both forearms

 Laid to rest within his friends arms

"a waste" said the Sergeant, to some

"When I found him, he was alive

his last breath said" "I knew you'd come"

 

Those who live forever bonded

round a fire and hearth, tell the tales

Are stories told, worth the cost

of a poor mother's, cries and wails

 

Ask a man to die for country

he will die for his friend instead
But no matter why it happens

the poor man is still surely dead

 

Could we strive to be something more

than a tombstone, upon the ground

Is death the true test of friendship

when Taps plays, the ultimate sound

 

If we don't learn to love, brothers

extinction will be how Man ends

It's hard to live a life of pride

at the cost of so many friends

 

 

Author's Note

Christ said " No greater love has any man than to lay down his life for a friend"
While war seems the ultimate test of this tenant. It is the ultimate shame of humanity. While I see the need of it in WW1 and WW2. These skirmishes since have been needless waste. Humanity will destroy itself if it doesn't stop this. If we don't find the way to forgo war we will all surly die from the shame of it. The countless women and children killed by it are enough reason.

Reviews

[Crowley]

I don't know what rock the answer lies under, or what motivation men need to see the light, but there is something in our make-up that seems unable to shake the ugliness of power and gain. Although some wars are predicated on humanitarian cause, its hard for me to believe that killing everyone in site is the answer...but then I am not the ultimate and unkowable truth...great writing Tate.

[Christina May Shanaberg]

Edit note:

Listenting to his "mate's" poor cries
"If it "costs" my immortal " " soul

There were a few other preference edits, but I ignored them.

This is just so beautiful. Great writing, my friend!

I know that it took me some time to get to it; however, I know how you have begun to write. You tore my heart apart!!

[AlisshalovesBrandon]

wow i love this. it captures how military men really feel about there brothers fight along side of them.

[M.Babu]

"Ask a man to die for country
he will die for his friend instead
But no matter why it happens
the poor man is still surely dead"

True. Brotherhood/Friendship, when right, is a bond that exceeds expectations. True friendship is strong and bold but also is fun and enjoyable. I'd like to think that i have friends willing to "take a bullet" or do something courageous and unselfless because of me...we all like to think we are surrounded by people who enjoy our company and would feel empty without it. Friendship is a give and take...

War on the other hand is a give. It is a neccesity...there is an old, wise saying...Mankind must stop war before war stops mankind. War is the downside of humanity. It has and always will be there. But mankind has the ability to ponder his actions and their outcomes yet still indulges in brutality, greed and the spilling of blood. We were given apt ability to overcome those powerful urges to kill, lust, steal, lie, covet...but we are still trapped in the centre of each of these vices. Man is to sin...

Nicely said.

~M.Babu~

[Britney]

FAntastic, i loved it :)

[Alicia Schroeder]

Great meaningful writting here.. I loved it :)

[dead man talking]

I was once in the army ,i loved it

[realmwriter]

Amen Tate! We fight for reasons we do not even know. We willingly step onto the battle front and don't know why we are there! We fight for causes that are not our own and march headlong into death for reasons we will never understand.

We leave behind those that loved us and they are left to struggle on without us. What have we done so terribly wrong to another that war is the only salution. To me it is pointless. Yet power and greed drive us to do things we would not otherwise do.

What a wonderful and discriptive piece. Yes Tate, we need to stop this madness before we blink ourselves out of exsistance!

[David Michael]

I do like this piece in general. It at once expresses an admiration for men defending their brothers-in-arms in the pit of hellish war, and a sadness at the existence of war at all. I also have to agree with "dakota" though - the picture you paint is biased, and knowing a lot of military people this isn't quite how it is. Also, while war may be a waste on the whole, a life spent is never a life wasted. We all live and die for reasons, and both our lives and our deaths always have meaning and affect people. But anyways, good thoughts, and as usual, a nice flow and rhyme.

[Dakota]

No man is ever left behind. A sergeant wouldn't order one to be. I feel that your sentiments in this piece while meant to be about unconditional devotion to one's brothers in arms are somewhat tinted by your stance on such matters. From my side of the road having been around the military for the past ten literal years you come across to me as someone who doesn't fully understand the motives and thoughts of what makes a soldier do what it is they do.

Ask a man to die for country
he will die for his friend instead

If you look around at our country right now where their brothers funerals are protested, they're spit on, forgotten, and/or verbally or physically assaulted for their choice in putting on the uniform then it does in fact make sense that the man to the left and the man to the right matter more in the instant of death then a country full of people who seemingly hate them.

I'm a firm believer that you'll never find a person more against war then the wife, mother, father, brother, husband, sister, son or daughter that just watched their uniformed loved one get on that bus, I've been there numerous times, but what may seem like a pointless waste of time to one may seem like and/or become a worthwhile life's task to another. Anyway, feel free to ignore me, down vote me, delete me or whatever because this is only my opinion after all.