[dearest]

Peace bursts
Splashing iridescent juices into the yawning sea.
Banners fly on every hilltop;
The kings of the mountain stake their claims
Crown to crown,
Scratching and thrashing like cats in the sand.

Gleaming vultures patrol the sky,
Black-lit eyes illuminate ghouls hiding in plain sight.
And all the while two Jonahs,
In the stomachs of opposing behemoths,
Pray that the other man
Would be the first to journey into that long, black night.

Peace bursts
Spattering strawberry footprints on foreign shores;
A mountainous cost paid in full.
But be at ease, the coffers live on to suffer and creak
With gold enough for a hundred kings.
Subtract the loss from lingering scars and poisoned sleep.

[LullabyHearts]

Oh, I really, really liked this one. And I like the repetition of "peace bursts" maybe you should've called it that. Good job, Fire!

[dearest]

Thanks Haruna. And I was considering it, but I've been on a stretch of one-word title poems lately and didn't want to break the chain. ^_^ I have some concerns about the flow, though, so any comments or suggestions are definitely welcome.