In uniform, and
frozen in time
but the world
does
not
wait
Cautiously
we patrol
littered
unknown
dirt
streets
Shoeless children pour
out of shacks
and
into
our
mission path
Dusty boots
take careful
steps
making
footprints
in some
hearts
We smile with guns
trying to
protect
and
make
friends
The enemy hides
among
innocent
faces
of
despair
Grand mountains
stand tall
guarding
secrets of
pain,
terror
Hope sprinkles
into hearts
settling
the dust
of history
and loss
Together
we stand
against
the
evil
in the world
Peace slowly
blooms
with the
fragility
of a
flower
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For dVerse’s Adventures in Traveling.
This is a mix of memories from my times on deployment patrols. I remember the faces of people in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. A mix of hope and fear of our presence. The odd feeling of giving friendly smiles while holding rifles. We wanted to provide comfort to the good while fight the bad. However, you never really knew who was on what side for sure.
Fortunately, I was always on mild patrols where the heightened awareness and small incidents were the main forms of stress. I can only imagine the memories of my comrades who experienced much more intense scenarios.
To them, I hope they find the peace they wanted to help give.