Nightstalker Pt. 1
I saw bleating sheep and a dying asp
Where the wind pressed its will upon solemn grass
I watched nightfall come and saw you pass
Delirious Shepard with your perfect mask
I heard a golden song from the throat of God
A gentle tone yet so very odd
I wept in silence, enraptured, awed
A gravedigger dug and a carpenter sawed
Is there anything worth dying for?
Whether in time of peace or time of war?
My salvation stolen by the Babylon whore
My trembling hands touched the derelict door
I wrote this in the parking lot while waiting for my kid to get out of the gym. Wished I had more time to work on this but have to PT, eat and sleep. Do writers spend countless hours knocking out material? I know many do. Good or bad poetry, this is about a man reluctant to embrace his death. I’ve met many men indifferent to life or death. We post so so many memes on killing and being badass but are we truly ready for the other side? Whether Valhalla or heaven or a void what is it that you’re ready for, and have you braced yourself for what is beyond that door? Do you practice what you preach?
I included military poetry in Spotter Up because poetry nourishes even the toughest hearts and helps us survive. A few lines of Homer or Hurd. Your choice. Some of the more notable poets were English writers, but the sentiment and the views sometimes run parallel with our own European perspective; freedom rather than dictatorships, democracy, individualism and service, bravery and lastly, they too celebrate the culture of the noble warrior who works to liberate others.
I think military veterans should spend more time learning how to express themselves. Paint, write, sing…Find a Way or Make One to get a better frame of mind…
Image from t. gilbert pearson audubon society
Image from the Dustoff Riders Vietnam
