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COURAGE
Bombs and explosions brighten the sky,
In a ditch crammed with soldiers, some dead, some alive,
I crouch near the wall as another bomb hits,
And the earth starts to tremble in thunderous fits.
My mind is racing, along with my heart,
Something tells me it's either the end or the start,
Of something mysterious that's happening to me,
Something inside that others can't see.
Again the earth shakes, glass and metal fly.
It pelts my straight jacket and I give a cry.
Come to me, courage! Release me, tense fear!
Despite my heart's cry, no one can hear.
I clutch the M-16 to my chest,
The feel of my weapon puts some fear to rest.
I clench my teeth and stand to my feet,
I climb from the ditch and run through the heat.
The bullets from tommy guns slash through the air,
My feet pound the loose dirt, I'm almost there!
I aim at the enemy and release a round,
But the next thing I know, I'm flat on the ground.
There's a searing pain, it's hard to keep breathing,
My leg is all bloody, inside I am seething.
Bodies of dead men litter the field,
But I'll never surrender, I'll never yield!
I crawl slowly forward in the cover of night,
There's a trench up ahead, it is clearly in sight.
The long minutes pass then I drop in the ditch.
Just as I do, the earth gives a pitch.
The sky glows with fire and smoke fills the air.
I've got a creeping feeling, I think it's despair.
I've no time for that! I shove it away.
I stayed in that old trench from night until day.
The long hours slid by as slow as they dared,
But we fighting soldiers held out, hearts prepared.
None could keep their thoughts in disguise,
The fears of each one was clear in their eyes.
The dawn brought a thick fog, the shooting had ceased.
I peered at the still forms, my adrenaline increased.
We took our large guns and emerged from the dirt,
Many of us trembling, frightened, and hurt.
The enemy had retreated, and we walked through the mists,
The remaining fires crackled and hissed.
The field was a wasteland, eerie and cold,
But as sorrow gripped me, I felt strangely bold.
Courage was dwelling in every man's heart,
A fierce determination was the start,
Of something that hardened to make us strong.
Though the battle, not finished, for now was prolonged.
And that day I learned something about who I was,
From the way a man acts, to the things that he does.
I learned that the outcome of battles we fight,
Is determined by courage and not just by might.
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