Warrior

I am the warrior

Who stands at the front

I am the warrior who fights
And dies
Not for glory but for hope

I stand for my country

I stand for my beliefs
Even when they do not agree

I stand
For the man or woman standing next to me

Because I fight to live
Not to kill
Because I fight for life
Not for death

I will stand and fight
And when not able
I will crawl
To my comrade
To cover or to offer my brotherhood
During death

I will drape my body over his
To protect him
I will give my blood
My sweat
My tears
My life
For those at my side
And you all benefit from my sacrifice
Our sacrifices

I will fight at the front
I will fight to get back to the front
When wounded
Or scared
Or exhausted
I will fight

If they take my leg
I will get another one
If they take my arm or my eye
The Gods gave me two

I am the Warrior
I stand at your door to protect you
And ask little of you in return
While at the Front or
Upon my return

I do not want your pity
Warriors have no room for that
I do not want your charity
I have earned my keep
I do not want your praise
I did not fight for recognition

I want your love
Because, for love of my country
I am a warrior
I want your respect
From respect for freedom
Your freedom
I fight
I want your acceptance
Of who I am and who I became
To stand and fight
And I want to be welcome home
If I walk or roll
Or am carried by comrades
I want to be welcome home

But mostly
I want you to stand
And fight
Not with weapons
With your voices
As I and my brothers and sisters have fought
For our lives
For our homes
For our rights and country and neighbors and ourselves
I want you to stand and fight for us
For all of us

I am the warrior
Who has stood at your door
And faced the gates of hell
I stepped forward among us
As have my brothers and sisters

I have fallen
Gotten up and fallen again
Stood on my own or assisted
At times I have been carried by comrades
And I the same for them

I stand now
And always will
Whether I can physically stand or not
I will stand against the tides
I will stand with the living
Or the dead

I will stand
The Warrior
For Right
For Honor
For Freedom and Country
I will stand as I have always stood
For I am a Warrior

©johnfklee