The Day Before the Revolution

It used to be warm in the sunshine
leaves wishing for freedom upon the wind
wearing ascots of scarlet and yellow
fluttering before the release of their indenture
ready to be careless before
being reduced to the dry husks of life
littering the street.

The sun peered over the horizon
tendrils of a promise of heat in the midday
skittering across the last mown grass white with frost
filling us with hope as we
prepared for the fight of righteousness
noble in our mortal eyes.

We laughed as we drank our beans of the morning
hale from the formerly lasting peace
plotting our future deeds of honor
upon the battlefield of tomorrow
not knowing
what the casualty of war would really bring.

The day broke
and we proceeded as if
the day of the revolution would never come
amused with the peace and tranquility
of a calm before a storm
unprepared for the pain to be felt in the morrow
careless in innocence.