They are siblings - tied in name, One my friend, the other, the flame. He paints his pain with trembling hand, A boy once hurt, too young to stand. The fire to avenge starts burning bright, For wrongs that happened out of sight. But my dear friend, she calls him "Dad" A man in uniform, far from bad. He serves the land, he's far from home, In duty’s name, he's made to roam. But echoes cry from broken hearts Can silence play the healing part? Whom do I trust? The tale's not clear But I’ve felt that same sharp sting of fear. How could he forget those twisted lanes, The hiding spots, the secret games? And so I ask, why didn’t she fight? To shield the truth, defend the right? Her father or mine, in silence reviled At stake then, and, still a child.