His shirt read
ARMY
Across his chest.
His sweat hid the scar
Along his jaw-line.
It hid the tears streaking
Down his cheeks.
His steps
Were like thunder,
Pounding the life
Out of the corroded surface.
His hands were clenched
Into tight iron fists.
His fingers were calloused,
And that I could feel
As he caressed my forehead.
His breathing was ragged,
And sounded as though
His entire being
Would be no more.
His figure was tall,
Proud,
But in the same way,
Defeated.

This man ran,
And with every step he took,
He broke away from reality.
He seemed unfriendly,
But I knew that wasn’t so,
I felt it wasn’t so,
For when he ran past
He smiled.
He smiled a prided smile,
Like he knew I knew,
And he felt what I felt,
And thought what I thought.

Why do you do this?
How can you stand it at all?
What keeps you going back?
Why do you fight for people you don’t know?

With earnest eyes
Stone cold,
He looked back at me,
Like someone,
Anyone,
Had set him free.