Christina

A WAR OF GENTLEMEN IN THE DESERT

One was German
and one was British ~
both were wounded
and needed much care.

Carried to tents,
and tended by medics
Each realized
the other was there…

Only a few inches
between one and the other,
a hand reached for his,
as if to a brother…

The morphine took over
and each fell asleep
still holding a hand
this comfort to keep…

One woke in the morning,
the other was gone
He asked: Where did he go?
and was told: He passed on.

The man’s now in his 80s
his hair, white as snow
his steps are now feeble
and ever so slow –

He remembers the time
he was inches apart
from the enemy brother
he still holds in his heart.

Author’s Note: Inspired by a story on the television program about WWII, “Africa’s Battles”