Paradise

A stare that tells a thousand tales.
Within it there is a longing for familiar faces, for the sights and sounds of home.
It shines from across the room, a room on a battlefield of sorts.

I have seen this glare many times before on countless faces. To spite the distance and the
heartache. No matter the horrors of war, that stare has stayed constant throughout the ages. The longing for hearth and home.

This time the source is a pair of soft green eyes. Eyes that have yet to see the fullness of the world. Eyes that have not yet seen real sorrow or gained wisdom which can only come with age.
Her lips part to form a smile. A tool she has known all to well. It has served her greatly in the past. It has lit up a room, manipulated countless men, and softened daddies heart on more then one occasion. It beams now as she reflects upon the past.

She sought adventure in the noble uniform she now wears. Excitement and a chance to make her mark she longs to be home. Far from this place, from tyranny. Able once again to make her own choices. To be the young women she dreams of at night.

Sandy hair hangs loosely from a bun. It accentuates her trim figure which has been the desire of more then one man. Almost by instinct a hand goes to work quickly putting it right. The gaze remains steady, fixed upon the images of whatever world she's created in her head. She thinks about the girl she used to be, about the dreams she still holds.

For a moment, one fleeting second I long to join her in her dream world. To be far from the sand, and the realities of war. To be with her in her perfect world of day dreams and desires. Yet I know I cannot join her. For her world is not mine, my own is different. It is of my own making and yet its paradise. As I watch the joy on her face I drift off slowly, into my own, to the places I hope to be. A simple paradise.