Robert Allen Lindsey

SOLDIER

I was that which others did not want to be.

I went where others feared to go,
and did what others failed to do.

I asked nothing from those who gave nothing,
and reluctantly accepted the thought of eternal loneliness
should I fail.

I have seen the face of terror;
felt the stinging cold of fear;
and enjoyed the sweet taste of a moment’s love.

I have cried, pained, and hoped
but most of all,
I have lived times others would say were best forgotten.

At least someday I will be able to say that I was proud of what I was.
A soldier.