Sometimes death holds tight,
More closely than love ever has,
And shows value
In words unspoken.

"I don't want fighting anymore,
I don't want bugle calls
And gunshots."

True thoughts are never heard
But only felt
By those
With hearts borne.

"I don't want shellshock,
I don't want hemorrhages
And viscera."

Cold embraces transcend time
And pain,
Comprehending sole virtue
And purity in the vacuum.

"I don't want pain,
I don't want struggle
And hardship."

Conceptions and notions
Unveiled in dire straits
And unwillingness to conform.
We all have lives to save.

"I don't want to die
Again."

We all have lives to save.

Even if they're not our own.