The Deep Dark

Now, I have written many things, some were even pretty good. One thing I have done only a handful of times, though, is poetry. I make no claim to be a poet as I would never tarnish the title of those talented few but below is an attempt that I thought I'd share. This is for the veterans out there and those who know a veteran and have seen the pain that still lingers deep inside. Thanks for reading.

The Deep Dark

When we are young we hold life immortal
Then as age draws upon us we learn youth is merely a portal
A portal to our future, a future of children, husbands and wives
Those magical moments and places we imagined for our lives

Yet we dawned the colors of our country true
We went off to fight for the red, white and blue.
Those returning home, broken and torn
The physical scars upon us so proudly worn.

Yet it is the scars that lie beneath that define who we are
Our memories and emotions so close yet detached and afar
It is in the twilight hours of our daily lives
That we touch The Deep Dark hidden in our minds.

It is in that place that the battle rages on
Friends we lost to war still strong, fighting on.
We relive the fear, the pain and grief
We again see our brothers fall in painful disbelief.

Our bodies jolt us forward, struggling to wake, pulses quickened and ready to break
Our muscles tense and trembling as we fight through the fog and sweat.
The night rests dark and quiet though in our minds we rage
The Deep Dark forever has us, so how do we turn the page?

The battle may be over but our war rages on
For the Deep Dark now has us and our memories linger on.
Our brothers no longer near to help us quell our fear
It becomes hard to remember that others hold us dear.

For them we suffer in silence for it was them we swore to protect
That vow forever echoing in our hearts and mind so true.
To all of those around us, we fought for the love of you.
The media blitz is over and your lives have seen a new dawn
But thanks to the Deep Dark within us our battle rages on.