Hope
Hope
is
a
prayer
said
out
loud
in
an
empty
house
it's
the
sound
of
a
quarter
dropped
in
a
Catholic
church
It's
a
dog
wearing
a
muzzle
and
a
gun
without
bullets
it
is
love
with
no
expectations
beyond
the
way
it
makes
you
feel
right
here
right
now.
Animals have no souls
Beyond
the
gates
of
Eden
an
elephant
sits
alone
in a
room
a
wolf
howls
in
a
shopping
mall
as
crows
scatter
across
neon
lit
cities
we
are
all
just
dreams
waiting
to
be
born
just
thoughts
unexplained
then
lost
in
the
glow
of
everything
we
are
all
just
animals
who
are
not
allowed
in
heaven
destined
to
obey
a
master
we
never
asked
for.
Lover
your
kiss
is
a
wolf's
howl
an
ocean
wave
and
your
touch
is
a
spider's
web
big
enough
to
encase
me
like
a
mummy
smiling
into
the
face
of
death
Matthew Borczon is a nurse and Navy Corpsman from Erie Pa. He served in the busiest combat hospital in Afghanistan from 2010-2011; he writes about his experiences on Camp Bastion and about the difficulties he has had since coming home.
