chicken lips

Tiny soldiers do battle each day,
waging silent war against the unseen -
an inward enemy that plays evil tricks
on these soldiers' little bodies.
Still, they fight
Still, they smile
Their courage is unending.
Their greatest weapon is their laughter.
Boundless Hope is their captain,
the banner that they carry high.


Tiny soldiers, though often weak,
endure the tests and treatments
that drive grown men to their knees.
They boldly march toward their prize -
toward whole bodies
toward healthy lives.
Often found playing in their beds,
little pranksters they are at heart,
teasing their doctors and nurses,
living their lives to spite this war.



Tiny soldiers, how many have fallen!
Rivers of tears flow in their memory.
Their spirits live on in order to remind us
to continue in this costly, bloody war.
Fight the fight!
Find the cure!
Bring childhood cancer to its demise!
Sing this song for the young heroes gone before,
and ensure victory for the ones yet to come.
The unseen enemy must win no more.



Copyright © 9/18/2004 Tracy M. Ries