Their Silent Nights
He stood in ranks, proud and tall,
A Soldier ready to heed the call.
Through desert winds and shattered skies,
He fought his wars with weary eyes.
But in the silence, after the fight,
When the world turned dark from day to night,
The battle within began to roar,
A war unseen, a war on a hidden shore.
His heart so heavy, his spirit so torn,
By wounds unseen, his soul subsided to the worn.
Each whispered thought, each sleepless night,
Became the ghosts he couldn’t fight.
He smiled and laughed for others, brave and true,
But behind his eyes, the darkness grew.
No medal or honor could erase
The silent pain that etched upon his face.
And though he fought with all his might,
The weight became too hard to fight.
He slipped away without a sound,
A Soldier lost, but never found.
Now, in the silence, we stand here,
Mourning a warrior we all held so dear.
His battle ended, his soul set free,
But in our hearts, his legacy will be.
For those who serve, and those who fall,
We must answer their final call:
To fight for them, with love and light,
In the darkest hours of their silent nights.
© Jake Kingler, 2024
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