Loyalty

Loyalty. 
So hard to define
Until it is lost.
Simply perceived
Yet hard to keep intact. 
It takes every ounce
Of our being
Solely devoted 
To the object 
Of our loyalty.
Yet betrayal can undue
All we've worked so hard
To keep together. 
We live;
We fight;
We die;
Fiercely ready to defend
Those to whom
we've pledged our loyalty.
Loyalty takes:
Courage in the midst of fear,
Integrity to hold true. 
Persistance amidst defeat,
Sacrifice in times of triumph. 
It asks for everything
And holds nothing back. 
Loyalty is worth the price