24 year old twins - peace must live

An interview with a twin

Iraq is a war for hearts and minds
A place where weapons of peace
are made tested and refined
A question: is a diifference being made?

A patrol a road side bomb
a call at 7.00am from my commander
confusion frenzy and friends
bad news brother hospital rush

taken to the bed of my twin
the scans tell me a story as large
as that writ on the doctor's face
a head injury - its only a matter of time

Calls home shock and stuppor
tick tock time passing along
a connection so strong so weak
John's hand is warm I hold on

We talk and joke friends reminisce
We know he hears he does not speak
It is all against the clock
his wounds damage make him weak

Tick tock the sickness the shock
10 hours later and the monitor goes flat
I grip his hand now limp and cry
the warmth begins to fade and grow

We came into the world together
A bomb and shrapnel change that
I was with him at his end
His new beginning begun

The hearts and mind still there
the peace still to be won
We have a job to do it matters
John died Iraqis die
but peace must live on