World War 2: A Soldier's Tale Pt. 2

We crossed the German border
And pressed on to the war,
We were not ready, not prepared
For what fate had in store.

We saw things that no man should see
And no man soon forgets,
Live men and women, starved and caged
A sick man's twisted pets.

We freed those that were still alive
And buried all the dead
Anger burned inside our hearts,
For this, blood would be shed.

Our squad of sixteen men moved on
Toward a German post,
We crept along beneath the trees
And killed those we hated most.

Our squad received a call at night
Supplies had been flown in,
The drop point wasn't too far off
we all felt hope within.

The next day brought upon us hope
As we headed towards our aid
But on the way, we found more dead.
More starved, caged, and afraid.

We freed these men, women, and children
And again, buried the rest.
And as we looked at all these people
We saw stars burned to their chest.

By night we made it to the camp
And found to our delight,
All the weapons, food, and arms,
And two tanks to join the fight.

And as we moved into Berlin
Our hearts were filled with dread,
The once gray streets, stained red with blood,
And littered with the dead.

We held our rifles at our side
Preparing for attack,
I turned around in time to see,
My best friend clutch his back.

From behind, the Germans charged
Their rifles all ablaze,
They outnumbered us at six to one
But our will, they couldn't faze.

Eddy fell down to the ground
While they continued their assault,
We held the Germans best we could
And brought them to a halt.

I knelt down by my dying friend
He had one last request,
To tell his wife he loved her
And that he died beside the best.

He reached into his pocket,
And pulled out letters for his wife,
He clenched them in my hand
As he bid farewell to life.

Blood puddled underneath him
And his face turned pale white
I carried him upon my back,
But Eddy died that night.

I buried him outside Berlin,
Our squadron gathered 'round
I laid a flag on atop his corpse
And set him in the ground.

I recalled it now, the day we left,
He kissed his wife good-bye,
He promised that he would return
And told her not to cry.

I said the same thing to my wife,
A promise I still kept,
I too, had said I would return,
And held her as she wept.

The sun rose on the streets next day,
Reflected in the mud,
I thought I heard a loud explosion,
and then I tasted blood

The burning metal shot towards me
And burned into my chest,
My sight went dark, I couldn't hear
I fell like all the rest.

I awoke inside a brightened room
My head and chest in pain
The walls began to spin around
I thought I'd gone insane.

I rose up from my resting place,
A soft and weathered bed
But sleep again controlled my mind
And I was forced to rest my head.

Hours later I awoke
I knew now where I lay
I was inside a hospital
And would soon be on my way.

Several days of rest had passed,
I was cleared to depart,
I boarded up onto a plane
And hope grew in my heart.

The plane touched down, I knew this land
Though several years had passed,
I hurried to a nearby bus
And headed home at last.

Though I was home, I had a task,
A job I had to do,
Seven letters in my pocket
I kept my promise true.

I headed towards Eddy's house
My heart was weighed with grief,
I told his wife what happened
She spoke only disbelief.

I gave her his belongings,
His helmet, boots, and vest,
I told her that he loved her,
And he died one of the best.

It now was my turn to go home,
To return back to my wife,
I knocked on the door, tried not to cry
But did, first time in life.

My wife had opened up the door,
Her tears fell like the rain,
I knelt down and I held her close
We were together once again.

I think of all the friends I've lost
While I age old and gray,
All the pain and love I felt,
These things are here to stay.

But now it ends, a soldier's tale,
From birth we're meant to die,
Our purpose is, protect and serve
And let the bullets fly.

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