The Times

Today we live in the best of times

And the worst of times

We live in an epoch of belief

Followed by epochs of incredulity

Incredulity that raised two young boys

One is Lamar, the other is Amir

Now this incredulity that is so abundant in society

Caused Lamar to fall of the wagon that was his piety

He used to pray daily

But now he just hopes that he isn't someone's daily prey

And Amir never believed in God to begin with

Because how can a child be born into Hell

When the hands that sinned weren't his

 

This is an age of wisdom

This is an age of foolishness

And they say that wisdom comes from old age

And old age comes from experiences

But Amir wants to know how young can you die of old age

Because he's experienced hails of gunfire and torrential bullet rains

And he thinks that, that is enough

He thinks that is enough to make him want to

Grow old and die already

Or to Grow old and blind already

Or Grow old and lose his mind already

Because he's already lost his innocence

And Lamar would share this sentiment

But he never had any innocence to begin with

Because war struck him from the womb

He opened his eyes for the first time and saw people who were ready for their tombs

Dying

Dying

Dying

Dead

From their wounds

With his innocence dying with them

So from the moment he was born, he was old

But Benjamin Button had nothing on him because

When Button was born his heart was warm but

Lamar...Lamar's was cold

The heat sucked out by all the people he had to watch die

All before he knew what it meant to truly be alive

 

This is the season of Light

This is the season of Darkness

The beauty of light only means as much

When you know how it feels to be wrapped in Darkness

While blanketed in Darkness Lamar found his Light

His family

His brothers

His merry band of nearly men

With whom he shared his soul

With whom he shared his hopes

With whom he shared his dreams

Dreams he only shared with them

Because they knew his grief

They knew that life gave no relief

So you must struggle for every inch of reprieve

Lamar loved his brothers

Lamar loved his colors

A love that Amir knew well

He himself being Baptized in his colors

As he traversed his own Hell

Looking to them for comfort

And looking to those who wore them

As fathers,mothers, sisters, and brothers

As family

As the only family he's every truly known

Not the only family that he's ever loved

But the only family that's ever loved him back

They gave him purpose

They have him meaning

They gave him a new life

But they also gave him death

And now Amir is lying on the ground

Blood trickling from his mouth

Tears cascading from his eyes

His heart broken, as he slowly but surely dies

Having learned that the worst thing about betrayal is that

It never comes from you enemies

A concept that Lamar knows too well

As he himself stares at his reflection in a pool of his own blood

As he looks around and realizes how much he was actually loved

And as they both lay dying

They smile

They smile at the fact that

It is a far far better rest that they go to than they have ever known

 

Today we live in the best of times

And the worst of times

One of those boys is a child soldier in Africa

The other lives in one of the poorest neighborhoods in one of the biggest cities in America

So, you tell me what kind of times we're actually living in

Because I'm not so sure anymore  

This poem is about: 
Our world

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