Anthony M O'Donnell

Anthony M O'Donnell Poems

The Best Poem Of Anthony M O'Donnell

The Soldier

The common soldier is not though of allot
Except by the ones they love
And when they are fighting all over the world, people tend to give a thought
That our Freedom depends on the likes of

Heroes that some one might forever miss
But the soldier knows that he can't dismiss
The order that was given to him

With the time, he has leftover
He will think of the good times and reminisce
The times and memories he has made, must carry over
Until next time, soon he will be marching to a cadence

To leave his friends, wife, and family
There are not many eyes, with out tears
And people who don't know how this feels, it is pure agony
He picks up his bag; you wish he need not to go, he masks his fears

And when he gets on that plane, he disappears from view, and when it takes off it disappears quickly
But for the soldier, he knows he must go, for he is protecting Freedom and all that is right
He tries not to look concern, casually
Looking out the window, he knows that some one has to go on protect Freedom and all that is right

With their life and blood
Images come to mind of wars fought before and the destruction enters his head like a flood
He tries to fall a sleep, but can not
Since he knows that, all it takes is one shot

At the sound of a loud commotion, the soldier wakes up
And when the ramp is opened and lowered, the hot desert air
Blew in and caused them all to quickly lineup
And picking up his bag, he walked out, starting to sweat in the sunny, hot, and dry desert air

Walking to where he will sleep
He entered a cramped room, with five-dozen cots and this is what the soldier will call home
For the next eighteen months, his will won't give up, and now there is a chance to get some sleep
There are sixty people in this room, and who is to know, accepted God, who will make it home

At five o'clock, next day, the company was up and getting ready
For today's patrol around the city
He is checking his weapon and putting on his bulletproof vest, making sure he is ready
Getting in his hummer, and leaving the military propriety

He was praying that with his goodness
God would let him survive the next eighteen months in this bright, cloudless, hot, and dry desert place, so as they aggress
Through the city
The city was not busy, and with the heat and sun beating down, the soldier is pushed to his capacity

As we drove on, trying to concentrate
We saw smoke, an anonymous black cloud. And over the radio, we heard that a platoon of soldiers from A company, north of us on patrol
Just had an IED detonate and needed our help and co-operation
By the time we got there, they had everything under control

But devastation was every where, and at a price
Two hummvee's were flipped and were the color black all over
And those who died, their friends and families have the everlasting wound that won't quite cicatrice
And the soldier not thought of, and now their soldier is gone, friends and family members who took part in these soldiers life, will have a little void forever

As the soldier and the platoon, drove away, they knew, that could be them any time and day
And the soldier and platoon continue through the city, until they reach the city
Limits reached, job done and finished, the company drives back to the base at the end of the day
To meet and to discuss what they saw and heard that day and to assign watches for that night they got in order

We got ready to go to sleep, while one got ready for his watch first
Laying in bed, the soldier thought to himself: who would give their blood and life, and be the one to go first?
And while the company slept, the watches did change and I had not got to sleep
When I, the soldier, was woken up some time, for my time to do my watch and I did not sleep

When it was morning, we were ready, for it was the same deal
For the next three months, we patrolled the same time and place
Now we were use to the feel
Of the people talking, walking, staring, and in standing in one place

Then the day came when patrolling on out skirts of town. On a narrow two way street of dirt
We hit an IED, I the soldier was two hummvee's behind the two hummvee's that were hit
There was smoke, an anonymous black cloud, everywhere and there, there were two hummvee's flipped and were the color black all over. Now we were all alert
I the soldier, and other members of our company were getting out to help the others get out, and I tell you that I showed my emotions, I admit.

But devastation was everywhere around me, and at a price
Two hummvee's were flipped and were the color black all over
And those who died, their friends and families have the everlasting wound that won't quite cicatrice
And the soldier not thought of, and now their soldier is gone, friends and family members who took part in these soldiers life, will have a little void forever.

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