Troops

Somehow, somewhere

Walking, patrolling

A focus on peril

Normalcy is terror

Every day

Any moment

On a dime

As if to say …

.

When we awake

We will venture forth

With our arsenal

A quiet force

When held strapped

Upon a lonely shoulder

Fingers twining around …

Magic buttons

Creating fireworks for the

Amateur watching quietly

From home

.

The couch,

Soft pillows

Arching back to

Find that comfortable

Position

No gritting sand

Chafing the skin

All I want is to

Watch TV

Flipping channels

And suddenly …

.

There you are again

In full regale

A smile for the camera

Hides that painful expression

That carries your world

Most of the day

Most often when you breathe

A fear

An anxiety

Rests itself upon the pit of

Your stomach

.

Wondering daily what is ahead

How quickly whispers turned and fled