Category: Ramble

For a certain kind of man. The one thing worse than war. Is for there to be a war… …and not be part of it.

I don’t know if I am a better man than the one that proceeded me. Or the right example for the one that came after me. But I want to be…

Before the fight he runs with zeal. In the fight he runs with resolve. After the fight, when gray…he walks. Heavy but without regret.

Manny warriors come home and walk the misty space between the living and the dead, feeling a debt to both worlds. It is a hard walk.

The Title The Marine Corps has a pretty tough barrier to entry. After meeting the preliminary requirements to take up the challenge, you must endure physical and mental challenges that will make you question the decision to attempt such a thing. Earned, never given. Forged in fire. The Few, the Proud. Earning the title Marine…

Beautiful Corps The Marine Corps is a harsh but beautiful place. You grow to love the very men you hate. It starts in boot camp where the Drill Instructors create a hostile, even violent environment; an place where you are forced to perform under the most stressful conditions. You are forged and become increasingly impervious…

The guy I didn’t shoot Back during the war there was a guy I didn’t shoot.  It happened minutes after I was wounded.  I had a scratch on my right cheek left by debris from an RPG that flew eighteen inches past my head.  Another enemy dropped a hand grenade from the roof above.  It…

Warrior poet I heard the pipes, I heard the drums.The first called me to be a poet, the second to be a warrior. Can the same man carry a song and a battle cry?Perhaps the bitterness of one makes the other so sweet? I do not know, but their sounds cannot be ignored.The calling is…

Walkie’s ode The fight was hardAnd the scars are deepAnd to this dayI still weep I am aliveBut they are now goneWhy was IThe one to come home Brothers in armsSide by sideYet one man livedAnd the other one died I’ve searched the bottleAnd I shout to the skyBut after the stormI still don’t know…

The storm inside I suppose I am reckless and prone to self-destruction at times.Something inside me rejects the success and good life I have.For a season I accept and comply.But the wound returns anew, time and again. They are gone, violently taken from this life, and from those who love them.Yet I remain, loved by…

The question I take strong drink, to ease the pain.But when the sunrise, memories remain. When the embers burn low, their voices cry out.“Do not forget me!”I hear them shout. So, I sing their song, and I tell their tale.And my only fear,Is that I may fail. And though I have bled, they’ve paid so…

The path I know I’m supposed to walk on the clean path, the straight and narrow way.But my feet are so accustomed to the mud and the mire.I often sink my feet back in.It’s hard to forget those times. The mud sticks to my boots and my feet are heavy.But I plod on.Sometimes I get…

Stone Like a canyon, I appear as stoneStrong, formidable, and reflecting the lightBut the canyon is deep, the shadows remainThere is a coldThe ones who are gone have left their marks on the stone wallsOf my heart

Outside in the cold I stand outside in the cold. Shelter is nearby, but I don’t go in. There is a strange comfort in the solitude, and in the biting wind. At least it is familiar. Inside where it is warm, I feel strange. I don’t think I belong there. So, I stand high on…

My nature Where does this wanderlust come from?  I recognize the restlessness, but I cannot understand it.  It subsides for a time, then returns with the fury of a caged animal. Is it in my blood? Is my spirit wild? My father who I didn’t know was the same way I’m told.  I don’t know,…

My fear “What are you afraid of?”Snakes I tell themThere’s some truth to that, I don’t like themBut that’s a small matter What do I really fear?MyselfI’m afraid that I will sabotage my own lifeI was restless before the warAfter the war the scars make me reckless as well I am often callous to othersMy…

How do I explain? How do I explain? How much I love life, how much I appreciate each day, each experience, each relationship. Tonight, I fall asleep in a soft bed, with a pillow. My loving wife and best friend by my side. I tucked in my sweet daughters. My son is asleep with his…

Break free, the Way Sometimes I’m going through the motions, of the man I’m supposed to beTrying to take the right next step, but I know that it’s not meCause the man I see in the mirror, ain’t the one that they all seeThere’s a war going on inside, and I’m trying to break free…

As I go As I travel, and as I goI’ve learned somethings, but there’s so much I don’t knowI’ve got a wandering heart, but I long for a homeWho understands this thing? But I’m not alone Day after day, and mile after mileTear after tear, and smile after smileI go, I always go Now the…

The burden Freedom from this burden lies within sight, but I cast my eyes away. I don’t want to let it go.Perhaps a bit of pride is tied to the pain. I don’t know…Maybe I’m afraid if I let it go, then there won’t be a scar. I think I need the scar. It helps…

The mask I wear a mask in battle to look fierceWhen I return another one hides the painWhen no one is lookingI steal a glimpse of my reflection in the bottom of my glassIt is uglySo, I drown it with another drink

Dark clouds remain Born of sorrow and loss, of rage and of pain.I feel somber, alone. The dark clouds remain. They clear for a season, then return in some time.I chase them away, with laughter and wine. With whom do I share, these things in my mind?In my heart, in my soul. These things that…

There he is Some say he is stuck, he should move on.Of course, they don’t actually say that to his face. The truth…The familiar, as bad as it may be, is preferred above change. The anxiety of the uncertain.Also…Holding onto the past and the pain, remaining there…it serves to create purpose.Even if imagined. The thought…

Why I hike Up on the mountain things are much more simpleEverything I need is carried on my backEach item has a purposeBecause I hike each day and camp in a new spot each nightMy restlessness, my wanderlust, is pacified Maybe because I am bathed in sunlightBecause I breathe chilled morning airBecause the crickets sing…

A troublesome bit The dream came the other night, as dreams will come.UnexpectedBefore me were four Marines. One I remember, the other three I recognized. Their appearance began to flicker, then fade. One after another.Only by speaking their names could I prevent them from disappearing forever. I missed the first one and tried to speak…