Author: NDExile

Our homeland has changed, things are different, it’s not the same as before.

Leaders today serve themselves, there is interest in the people no more. 

I swore to protect and defend our constitution, from enemies within and without.

I promised to obey the orders of the president and the officers appointed over me; I did so with no doubt. 

Serving under leaders that I didn’t choose, is what, by oath I said I’d do.  

I wasn’t just defending the constitution, I was protecting our way of life too. 

At the start of each day, in days now long gone, when Ol’ Glory was run up the flagpole,

I saluted the flag and prayed to God, “Please keep our nation undivided and whole.” 

I didn’t see the president or the officers when I honored the Red, White and Blue.

What I saw was my family, my friends and the thankful ones like you.  

By your gratitude I’ve been blessed beyond hope, exceeding all human measure.

Your appreciation, your kind words, your thanks, are a veteran’s greatest treasure.

You thank me for what I’ve done. I thank you for what you do. 

To keep our nation great requires a lot more people like YOU!

When it comes to secret abilities I don’t want 9 lives like a domestic cat.

I’d like to have the power to pull a rabbit out of my hat.

Perhaps I’d be a contortionist and escaped from locked shackles and chains.

Then again I’d like to jump unharmed form airborne aero planes.

To possess such powerful abilities makes me rather afeared.

Did you notice; the great magicians and illusionists of the past have disappeared?

Words can be amazing, whether spoken or written on the page. 

Like the stroke of the artist’s brush, they paint calm, they can stir up rage.

When the words, as the harpists fingers, skillfully strike the chords of the human heart

They can resonate most beautifully, sounding joy, thus fulfilling their intended part. 

When the words arrive like the sound of a horn, in a never-ending blare,

They can numb the heart with their discord, driving out the peace that once was there. 

If the words that I send find harmony, to continue simply answer, “yes”.

If the words are an endless blare, a simple “no” will put them to rest.  

Today as I entered these portals,

Gone was the rhythm of life. 

I slowly walked in silence; 

Unsettled by a personal strife. 

The quietness, though pleasing to the ear,

Evokes contention in my heart. 

The silence speaks of a void, 

Amplifying the greater, missing part. 

What is missing is the spirit of humanity;

The vitality, the emotions, the care. 

What the soul creates within itself, 

Is does with the intent to share.  

Gone are my colleagues, away are my friends, 

Absent are those I assist. 

To whom shall I give, from whom shall I receive? 

How long will this struggle persist?

Change is taking place all around. 

Its impact is quite easy to see. 

The most far-ranging and difficult change,

Is the one to occur in me. 

The outcome of this battle within, 

Will lead to transformation and change.

A longing for the life that once was so familiar,

Is antagonized by a reality so strange.   

Note: this reflection was inspired by a visit to the office building I had worked in for 10 years.Due to the quarantine of 2019 – 2020 it was unoccupied at the time of my visit. 

Of all that I’d ever wished for, for what I dreamed one day I’d be;

I just wanted to be a blessing for all those who’ve been a blessing to me. 

Thank you for sharing a kind word when I helped to meet your need.

But without someone to serve, I could never perform a good deed. 

There are times when you’ve been my servant, for which I sincerely thank you.

The times I cherish most are when you’ve let me be your servant too. 

For all that I’ve been given I know its not mine to keep. 

For together we have sowed the seeds. and together we shall reap. 

By ourselves we do not travel; we meet others along the way. 

Those we encounter in the morning are those we serve today. 

I pray I can serve you on the morrow; I pray our paths will cross. 

For a day without serving others, is to be counted a day of great loss.