The Burden Of A Soldier Poem by Omotosho Samuel

Like you my dear friend, I have red blood flowing in my vein
Like you my sister, I have a mother, a father and a brother
Like you my brother, I am a father and I am human
The only difference is that I made a promise and am standing by it
So before you judge me, please feel me

Have you ever said a goodbye knowing truly you might not return
Have you ever stayed awake so others could sleep
Have you ever wished the sun you saw rising could set before your eyes
Have you seen a man become too weak to cry
Have you ever taken a decision involving life and death
Have you held someone in one hand and death on the other
Have you seen a dying man make his last wish
Have you seen a bullet piercings a beautiful heart, squirting it blood on your face
Have you ever led men with a promise of tomorrow but no assurance of today
Have you ever been given a chance...............

You see, I am not talking of those chances that are determined by the loving God
I am talking of the ones determined by the whining of bullets of an enemy hunting for you
Courage is never the absence of fear but me facing my fears
So, I am like a mother willingly going through the pains of labour
No matter how caring a man is, he may never comprehend the agony of the labour room

I am a soldier
Do you know I have my feelings and opinions
Do you know that I have a soul and a passion
Do you know that I have my view and believe
But do you know that all these does not matter once an order is given
But seriously, do you know that you still ask for my head after acting out your script
Am not complaining, I just want you to feel me
But seriously have you ever been given a chance..........
I mean a chance to...............die
Because, every war, battle, campaign feast on humans' blood

Like General H Norman Schwarzkopf said,
'it doesn't take a hero to order men into battle.
It takes a hero to be one of those men that goes into battle'
Thank you.