Semper Fidelis

Location

You are my best friend, a great brother, a great person.

I look up to you, my hero.

What happens if you come back and you don't care about me the same?

Soon people you will never meet will call you their hero, lets hope no one has to call you their fallen comrade.

You've decided to be brave, you have chosen to be a part of something bigger than yourself.

You're strong, stronger than I am.

This may be your last one chance to say goodbye.

The emotion creates a lump in my throat, I can't even form words.

I can't even swallow, all I can do is think...

This may be the last time I can look at you with my two eyes and see you this way again.

Soon they will strip away your identity and form yoiu into a new person.

What if I never see you again? What if none of us can see you again?

Goodbye never seemed so hard, but for now, goodbye.

You will march in formation as you're told.

You will eat when you are allowed and wake up when someone else decides.

You will leave here as someone I know and love but when you get back, if you get back, will I be able to decipher your new mindset?

What if I lose someone I love to the horror that is happening overseas that the news won't show us.

The stories they won't talk about, that they try to disguise as just another day on the battlefield.

They try to hide the things going on now, but they can't hide your scars.

Bullets fired, shots taken, lives lost, hope gone.

For now your picture must hold me over, memories must play in my mind, your voice is a distant sound to me ears.

You're gone now, I've said my goodbyes, I just hope I can greet you once more.

You won't be the same, your identity will be gone; the one I once knew, transformed, changed, reinvented.

Your visions will be ones of terror, your thoughts ones of guilt and shame, your memories eroded away by what you've seen and done.

Comments

Additional Resources

Get AI Feedback on your poem

Interested in feedback on your poem? Try our AI Feedback tool.
 

 

If You Need Support

If you ever need help or support, we trust CrisisTextline.org for people dealing with depression. Text HOME to 741741