Eternal Warrior

The symbols of pride:

Eagle, globe, and anchor,

U.S.M.C.

Medals of distinction.

The signs of distress:

170 beats per minute,

163 over 100,

Drenched in sweat and urine.

The language of loss:

Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy,

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome,

Invisibly wounded warrior.

I am a warrior,

Earned the eagle, globe, and anchor,

With blood, sweat, and tears.

This is the life I selected,

Embrace, and thank God for.

I am a warrior,

Forever suffering pain,

Anguish, caused by an invisible wound.

This is the burden I bare,

Grinning in the face of adversity.

I am a warrior,

Who can not march again,

That silently recites ancient cadences.

This is the loss I suffer,

Battle with, and overcome.

I am a warrior,

Eternally proud of my heritage,

Paying daily tithings of wordless respect.

This is the path I walk,

With shoulders back.

I am a warrior.

Unable to ever forget.

The symbols of distress:

Partially filled journals,

Overflowing pill boxes,

Black cane.

The signs of loss:

Forlorn eyes,

Sketches pleading with fate,

Dust covered guitars.

The language of pride:

Semper Fidelis,

Honor, Courage, Commitment,

Hoorah.

K.M. Shear 01-18-11

Submitted to Jingle Poetry for Poetry Potluck