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Tuesday 11 September 2012

Glory Days


Sitting in a silent world of contemplation
Thoughts roam untamed in fields of liberation
Gently prodding at the hidden memories inside
Conjures images of a life once full and dignified
Drifting slowly over embers of remembrance
He meanders through a maze of circumstance
Eyes sparkle once again as fireside tales expand
Recalls a life directed by another’s guiding hand

In quiet solitude he seeks peace to reminisce
Of glory days and nights of honourable service
Companions true forever standing freely by his side
Smiles at their unquestionable loyalty and pride
Bonds of dignity, respect they proudly built together
Steel within their souls, hearts gentle as a feather
In unison of spirit eternal brothers they will stand
Their lives directed by another’s guiding hand

Silence of the night invokes the horrors that he’s seen
Memories of places he wished he’d never been
Shattered lives and buildings flash before his eyes
Infestation of the soul silences the battle cries
Smile quickly fades from trembling lips in fading light
Bitter memory he’d left behind charges into sight
Brutal execution of a child in a foreign war strewn land
Simple life ended by another’s blood-stained hand

He flees once more to the sanctity of the memories of joy
The beginning of the journey of man growing from the boy
Pondering significance of all that he accomplished
Grips tightly to the whispers of memories he’s cherished
Old soldier’s time is over; all that’s left are tainted dreams
Of joyful laughter and exuberance and biting bitter screams
And each and every day awakes free at his command
A life no longer driven by another person’s hand

© Fergus Martin
2012


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