my precious soldier
head held high
all broken inside
as you bare the burden
of the world on your back

your smiles
never reach your haunted eyes
and you lay
all your scars out like medals
before me
each one holding a memory
of a battle won and lost

you see yourself as damaged
all tainted and unclean
but with those
war weathered hands
you hold
my bleeding heart so tenderly

while all those
cracks in your armor
are held together by pride
only the night sees your tears
and all those ghosts
you try to hide

you payed your pennance
in full
with all your pain
so ill wash your bloody hands clean
and caress all your old wounds
that still bleed

my eyes will only hold love
as they look upon you
because your own lonely sentence
is all the judgement you need

ill pray salvation finds you
because all the battles youve fought
arent half as brutal
as the wars you wage against yourself

so my precious soldier
when you grow weary of fighting
come seek the shelter of my arms
and lay your head upon my breast
ill whisper to you of love
and lay all your demons to rest