Two Brothers

Softly they slip through echoes of dreams
The reminders of what was held dear long ago
Two brothers walk silently side by side
The nighttime air fills their lungs as they breathe as one

Both carry birdcages, the metal is sleek and strong
Their hearts they carry in their hands
They beat as one, the hearts of steel
The pavement is cool beneath their feet, though the sky is aflame

It bursts with oranges and reds, speckled by smoke
Words whispered between them form in front of them
The brothers ask questions, though neither answers
Their lips move slowly, words trickle from them

"Erinnerst du dich an mich, Bruder?"
"Liebst du mich, Bruder?"
"Oh, wenn wir nur die Vögel, Bruder."
"Kannst du mich hören, Bruder?"

"Kannst du mich sehen, Bruder?"
"Kommt, lasst uns unsere Herzen frei."
"Zeit läuft ab."
"Werden wir überleben, Bruder?"

Suddenly they turn, facing each other
Their eyes are cold stars gleaming, fading
Metal screams and clangs
One brother's heart has gained something

An hourglass within the cage, sand trickles through
The brothers gaze at each other, for neither has the key
The key to the heart
So time slides away, like sand in an hourglass

Time is running out
The world screams and the glass shatters
One brother falls to the ground as shards of tinkling glass
The mirror has shattered and the man stands alone

He is without his twin as the sand runs through
Time is running out in the steel cage
This locked heart with no key
And so time runs on

The World War stands without his brother
Tears race down his cheeks, they fall to the cobbles
Soon there will be nothing left
Nothing left when the hourglass in his cage heart ceases

And the sand runs on, trickling through, until the last grain, falls

Author's Note

New poem! Yay! I didn't get this one done immediately so I was excited, I originally was going to write it entirely in German, but its best like this. The lines the brothers say are, "Do you remember me, Brother? Do you love me, Brother?Oh, if we were but birds, Brother. Can you hear me, Brother? Can you see me, Brother? Come, let us set our hearts free. Time is running out. Will we survive, Brother?" German is obviously not my first language so if you see any mistakes please tell me so I can fix them :3 If you didn't completely get it, since its kinda weird, the brothers are sort of the ideals and people of the World Wars. But World War Two was simply talking to his reflection, time is running out and all that he thought they were fighting for is gone but nothing can stop it or change it because there is no key to the heart. I just thought this deserved an explanation, I'm sure I could have done better on that in the poem, but I like it like this. Any feedbackcriticism is greatly appreciated!