The Soldier

The Soldier

The march was long
The march was hard
The path curved right
And then suddenly curved left
There was no telling where it led

Combating against the unknown
The struggle continued
The result unseen
Ever braver, ever stronger
The soldier marched onward toward his goal
He did not blink
He did not flinch
For in his heart bravery abounded

The fight was unrelenting
The battle bloody
The soldiers’ hands were stained with guilt of murder
Yes, they were stained
But his heart was proud
For his life was preserved
He was named one of the few
Who survived that bloody feud

Years would go by
And the world would continue
Circling on its axis
Little thought was given to that soldier
Who had remained ever brave and ever strong
No knowledge would come
Of that soldiers endless battle within himself

The nightmares would rage
The continuum of guilt would haunt
And that soldiers eyes would always behold the stains
The stains of murder that dotted his hands

He was asked to serve in one fight
But what little knew
Was that he wrapped himself in an eternity of battles
One rage put down,
Only letting another arise

He served his country
He served his country well
He did more than sacrifice his body
For he sacrificed his mind as well