He was a brave man,
Strong and Proud,
Never would he back down,
Surrender wasn't an option.
He fought for his beliefs,
To protect the Land he loved.
He fought for his Family,
So they could sleep safe at night.
He traversed a brimstone Hell,
Surrounded by smoke and shadows,
Watching friends fall,
Wondering which moment would be his last.
He stood strong, held the line,
Yet for all his bravery,
A tear slipped from his eye,
Knowing he wouldn't be going home.
As the fires burned and the bullets flew,
As orders were shouted and death cries moaned,
As last breaths slid silently from cooling lips,
He fought on, never letting the Enemy win.
With the battle raging he felt no pain,
Knew nothing but duty as that brave heart was sundered,
Fought on until the world grew hazy,
Collapsing at last, a final prayer on his lips:
"Tell my wife, I loved her."
***
Heartbroken tears fell on the letter,
Blurring the soothing words,
That never brought comfort.
The widowed mother is proud...
...but pride can't soothe the pain...
She looks at the man who delivered the letter,
Asking him if he was there,
Tears held back by phenomenal will,
Aching to know that He hadn't suffered.
The survivor tells her the truth,
He had fought by His side,
Watched the brave man die,
And made a promise to the dying man.
"His last words, were for you. He loved you, ma'am."
The tears come now, fast and heavy,
As she falls to her knees, trying to understand.
She loved him, she knew why he fought and had been so proud,
But now, now it hurt so very much.
The question one must ask, isn't why he died.
The question that hurts the most
Is it a soldier's Glory to die, his family's Grief to live,
Or a soldier's Grief to sacrifice all, his family's Glory to remember the Hero?
Author notes
As I read over this poem I'm not sure if my meaning is as clear as it was in my mind as I wrote this. I am personally very pro-military, and respect any man or woman willing to risk it all for the Dream that is America. Yet at the same time, my family has lost lives in every American war, I have read the journals of the family left behind. It is easy to be proud of someone who did something great, who sacrificed it all to be sure their loved one's were safe. But what of those loved ones, who are now safe? They have lost perhaps more than the soldier sacrificed, and it wasn't their choice. It is this dilemma that puts us in such a conundrum. We (I say this as I plan to enlist once my schooling is done) go off to fight out of love for our families, yet if we pay the price we are willing to protect them, we inadvertently hurt them. That means that they must sacrifice too, and perhaps the families should be honored more than they are. I thank every soldier who has gone through hell in the name of Freedom, but my heart aches for each family who has lost a loved one.
God bless you all, Soldiers and Families alike. Perhaps with his mercy, there will come a day when the suffering can end.
A contest entry
- Never Forget by SomeonesToySoldier.
1700 points, ended October 13, 36 entries
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