Recursive reality

A Soldier marches towards the setting sun
His short hair firmly gripping a slanted beret
Turning his head away from the path ahead
Towards another, at a single command
Yet his feet carry him onwards to destiny
Holding the dead metal of fire bolts
Close to a heart that is full of passion
He grips death with the same hands
That once cuddled the innocence of new life
The camouflage cannot hide
His love for the land and its people
And the future of his own children
That he has vowed to protect with his life

A nation sleeps in blissful ignorance
As the land drips with blood of her children
Neither the people nor their leaders know
That liberty has kidnapped innocent lives
And held them hostage for a ransom of freedom
Justice is imprisoned behind bars of betrayal
While dignity cries out to a host of deaf ears
Battles still rage in entrenched minds
Their dreams bordered by battlefields
Thoughts haunted by memories
Full of images from the depth of human cruelty
Ideology had extorted a heavy price
Even from the liberated minds

The powerful and the helpless join together
Like a holy union of love and hatred
The righteous and the immoral hold hands
As they march for peace with even steps
Amidst the chaos and struggles of daily life
Their's is an unceasing battle to comprehend
That war and peace are merely instruments
Of the many manifestations of human nature
Both bearing stories about the human capacity
For love and violence beyond description
The soldier returns home to his family
A hero, draped in a revered flag
His life is handed over to the loving memory
Of a weeping and forgetful nation
As another marches towards the setting sun
His short hair firmly gripping a slanted beret
With his head turned away from his destination
And his hands gripping a helpless gun