The Way Of A Soldier | Teen Ink

The Way Of A Soldier

January 21, 2009
By Ashley Nabors PLATINUM, Lubbock, Texas
Ashley Nabors PLATINUM, Lubbock, Texas
22 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Out across the wind swept desert, the soldier stares
From the old clothe bag comes a weathered book.
Flipping marked pages, seeing an old photo - A Buffalo Soldier.
The old man, who shares his name, looks through time to his kin.
With clear dark eyes, the soldier gazes back and begins to read:

Waking by a snow capped mesa
A Buffalo Soldier rises and stands tall in his youth
Both Mesa and Man had endured strong evils.
Of wind and rain; and constant loneliness
A troubled age had begun them both

Standing mysteriously at the brim of a village
The Buffalo Soldier on horse sits straight…..

Yet they held fast to their roots, their home
A unique way of thinking and being
Existing through time and space
Their spirit endures today in the land
And in the faces of their great grandchildren

Standing mysteriously at the brim of a village
The Buffalo Soldier on horse sits tall……

Flowing through time and tumbling through space
the rapids of flowing time snake slowly to journey’s end.
Completing the cycle of life and death; then going home.
Hating and Helping, protecting and killing, at the same time
On yellowed pages - hours and years passing, generations meeting

Standing mysteriously at the brim of a village
The Buffalo Soldier on horse sits dreaming……

Wanted: Good Men - Dedicated, Proud, Brave
Poster reads: Opportunity and a New Beginning
“As far as the eye can see..” reads the soldier
United States Army, Manifest Destiny,
Summer of 1866 -- Into the land of the West.

Standing mysteriously at the brim of a village
The Buffalo Soldier on horse sits hoping

A symbol of stories, neither lost nor misleading
Growing ever tall in the darkness of night
Folktales to children marked with Buffalo Faces
Their Native American brothers gave them a gift
A name of strength, of power, of thundering might.

Standing mysteriously at the brim of a village
The Buffalo Soldier on horse sits dreaming

Closing the book, the young man, looks away.
Quickly walking back to his regiment of men,
Eyes quickly pausing on horizon’s dirty edge
Thinking, dreaming, looking up at a blue sky
Understanding at last what it means to be free,

Standing mysteriously at the brim of a village,
His grandfather’s grandfather saw the promise.



Similar Articles

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 10 comments.


on Apr. 22 2009 at 4:08 am
Haley Victoria Hardin, Lubbock, Texas
0 articles 1 photo 12 comments
Wow! An Impressive Poem!



Great Skill in Writing!!!

on Mar. 7 2009 at 4:01 pm
ZACHARY J Stephens, Wolfforth, Texas
0 articles 3 photos 15 comments
So Powerful! Yet Very Visual!!! Thank You and Congratulations on a great work of literature!!!

on Feb. 23 2009 at 4:33 am
Quinten Nail BRONZE, Lubbock, Texas
1 article 0 photos 18 comments
One Of The Best Poems That I Have Read In A Long Time.



Wow! Amazing Pictures Painted In My Head.



Thank You For Coloring The Language With Strong Words

buffalo said...
on Feb. 10 2009 at 5:34 pm
this is a great poem i hope this kid keeps writing it is a great symbol of patriotism and war.

BigByrd 16 said...
on Feb. 6 2009 at 9:13 pm
This poem is very majestic in its use of detail. It is very urbane to read as the poem shows amazing history.

on Feb. 6 2009 at 9:06 pm
This poem is very hellacious and is prime in the use of wording to give the poem a natural flow. It's very pleasent to read and I personally enjoyed that the poem is set in a time that we have forgotten. It made history some alive!

hmoney said...
on Feb. 6 2009 at 7:31 pm
good job :)

i love it!

on Feb. 5 2009 at 8:51 pm
this is amazing!



i loved all the details.

Trish said...
on Feb. 5 2009 at 8:33 pm
wow! the imagery in this poem was tremendous and extremely descriptive.

I enjoyed reading this

Sid said...
on Feb. 5 2009 at 3:32 am
Wow! History Comes Alive In This

Selection.



I especialy enjoyed the strong adjectives that brough me out of the present and took me back in time when the Buffalo Soldier lived.



Thank you for an excellent poem that made both think and feel strongly about your subject!