Blood Brother

From forever, we've fought the fight
keen of wits, a righteous cause,
no quarter asked, no quarter given,
under a black flag, without pause...

We laughed, we cried and then we cursed.
Some secrets shared, some never spoken.
Promises made, and promises kept,
some hearts mended, some were broken

Friends we knew, they came and went.
Some died long before their time
or drifted away, lost to their futures.
Others died, later, in their prime.

Some enemies known, with faces hard.
Some unseen, their presence just felt
as we gained the high ground, yard by yard,
into the background they would melt.

Sometimes I'd take point,
but mostly I brought up the rear.
We faced each bloody skirmish
with laughter, pain and fear.

We watched each other's back
through jobs and kids and wives.
What we got back was a living,
but what we gave up was our lives...

We've battled on and on
through blood, guts and tears.
Until, blindsided, we were just
ambushed by the years...