Even the walls appear to bleed.
Shades of bloody red and healing pink
Paint await the brush of restoration.
Forgetfulness fades at the walls of the Citadel.

Winged creatures profiled in sky-blue
Absorb a painter's delicate stroke, himself no priest,
Yet his priestly attention to feather and plume
Promotes a social and political stance.

Forgiveness fades at the walls of the Citadel.
Hopefulness guides intent to rebuild
Homes, shrines, temples and gardens.

Promises of renewal, by a generation
Of painters too young to recall
Ruined walls splashed with blood at the Citadel.

Thousands died in the Battle of Hue.
A generation of souls on opposite sides of Earth
Weep and ache in shame and dismay
More than forty years after Hell visited the Citadel.