Soldier



To where are you marching, soldier,
Is it to some dreadful foreign war?
Why must you leave your home again,
As you’ve done so many times before?
Where this morn does the turbulence crest
That sends you marching into the night?
Who this day shall become your enemy
That tomorrow you must fight?

Soldier, why is the world in conflict,
How does your integrity stand?
Is the world so tarnished by its disparities
That war is of demand?
Why do you sacrifice your hopes and dreams?
Why for others must you bleed?
Why do you cast your lot into the wind
For that which others need?

O’ to where are you marching, soldier,
With your youthful pace?
Why do you transcend the words of God
To maintain his touch of grace?
O’ where does your legion take you?
Upon whom will your convictions tread?
Why does the world keep with death and ruin
For any peace that lies ahead?

O’ what will become of tomorrow, soldier,
Will it become no more than today?
Will tomorrow bring once more the dusky hues
That takes you faraway?
O’ to where are you marching, soldier,
Is it truly to a needful war,
Or are you just marching to the inveterate dirge
That has been heard so many times before?
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Submitted on December 04, 2015

Modified on March 14, 2023

1:04 min read
77

Quick analysis:

Scheme abxbxcxc xdxdxexe Afxfxgxg ahxhAbxb
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,142
Words 216
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 8, 8, 8, 8

R. L. McCallum

ABOUT ME ​I am a Gothic fiction novelist, poet, and short story writer who currently resides in Hamilton, Montana. My imagination, my travels, and my educational background in history, folklore, myths, legends , superstitions, and cultural taboos provide me with enough creative gunpowder to discharge some relatively fiery and frightful displays of prose and poetry. ​ I grew up with the gift of storytelling, which entertained my friends and siblings and encouraged the wrath of my elders. As years fell behind me, my imagination grew and the voices within became persistent, guiding me onward through the mist and into the shadowy regions where the darkest of deeds are done by the darkest of characters. more…

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