A Soldier Remembered

A Soldier Remembered

I saw someone just yesterday,

His stature and his gate were beginning to fray.

His body once stood noble and tall,

Now he used a cane so he doesn’t fall.

I turned to him with the deepest respect,

Asking a few questions, allowing him to reflect.

He told me of his service life decades ago,

Of honor and courage and salutes making his face glow.

Upon his head, he wore a cap with pride,

One that spoke of war and fighting for peace to abide.

The US ARMY was embroidered thereupon,

And he wore it as if he were still serving on.

It’s funny that no one else seemed to consider,

The sacrifice he’d made, the victories delivered.

This old man who I saw just yesterday,

Was once a young soldier honorable in every way.

I bid him adieu as he walked out of sight,

Only imagining the battlefields, his gallant fights.

Yet, he seemed none the worse for being ignored,

For his life was his own, war memories all stored.

I’ve thought a lot about him, that man bent with age,

Of the cap, the words upon it, the words of a sage.

For without people like him willing to step forward,

We wouldn’t live this life without swinging a sword.

So say what you will about the tried and true,

Of soldiers who protected the red, white, and blue.

The man, now a memory never to see again,

Stood between you and freedom’s enemy willing to defend.