Value for Life

When law and order broke down on the street,
And people run riotous, with no retreat,
Looting and destroying city's core,
Youth, in their recklessness, yearn for war.

But only those who've witnessed war's cruel face,
Can truly cherish peace and its embrace.
A youngster clamoring for battles to wage,
Knows not that war brings death and endless rage.

Until, suddenly, hundreds fall before your eyes,
And by a mere whisker, you escape demise,
A bullet spins past, grazing your ear,
And you question yourself, Am I still here?
Or have I gone there, into the great beyond,
Where souls depart, where life's thread is frond?

Then you pinch your cheek, to feel your own skin,
To confirm you're alive, and not a ghost within.
Only then can you truly comprehend,
The premium value of your life, and its precious blend.