My Brother's Keeper

Am I my brother's keeper?
Am I to lay next to him, 
To comfort him as he sleeps?
Do I tell him that the pain he feels, that pain that surges through him,
Affects me, worse than the strongest bullet?
Am I my enemy's friend?
Do I bless him, even as he curses me?
Do I turn the other cheek,
Even when the opposite reaction threatens to control me?
I am not a tool, I am not a pawn.
I am a tireless soldier,
Fighting through the dawn.
I fight the hate, I fight the pain,
I avenge the departed; the poor souls this life has slain.
I am every man's advocate, I do not back down.
And when you think you've seen the last of it, remember this:
The pride of mortal men is always there,
waiting to strike, 
Putting Vanity to sacrifice.
So I ask you again: Am I my brother's keeper?
No, I am something more.
I am his angel through the storm, 
The fire that keeps him warm.
I am his sword, I am his shield.
I am the one who carries him tirelessly across the battlefield.
I am his comfort on a stormy night,
His laughter that destroys his fright.
I am his friend in a time of war, 
And I am the smiling face he sees at the door.
I am all he dreams at night, 
To fight the nightmares,
To be his guiding light.
I am more than my brother's keeper;
I am his mind, his heart, his soul, his body.
My brothers are the sufferers, 
the ones who think they're weak.
My brothers are the wounded and the afflicted,
The ones who can't get past being addicted.
They are the ones thought to be mistakes, thought to be lost causes.
I am the one who will carry them to peace,
Where their pain and strife will cease.
I will sing away their pain,
I will caress away their misery.
I will heal them until they're no longer broken.
I will speak the words that would otherwise go unspoken.
I am my brother's keeper.
I will lay next to him, 
To comfort him as he sleeps,
I will tell him that the pain he feels, that pain that surges through him,
affects me, worse than the strongest bullet.
I will always be his keeper,
His soul will I try to save,
A burden that I will carry,
Yes, even to my grave.