There in the darkening trench

He dropped his rifle and sat

Closing his eyes

To force away the pounding

Of the distant guns

To a quieter place

Deep within his head

And imagined this place in spring

With verdant green spreading

To the welcoming woods beyond

Where he and his love would walk

And for a moment

The war had gone away

And they were together

For this one joyous day

As if the conflict had never been

And a brighter future could be seen

At least for this day

This small priceless sliver

Of this rare and beautiful day

Even if it wasn’t real

It was a short respite

Some spare seconds to heal

Before the coming of death