The original Poet Warrior site has now been reincarnated as a blog!
From PWP Poet RED DOG:
"Kenneth R. "DOC" Walker and I have teamed up and we are going to try and put
together a CD.
If you will turn your speakers on (sounds better on a stereo system) and click the URL below. Once there, click the play button on the blue player and read the words below it as it plays.
Doc and I hope you enjoy the song.
The War Within
Thank You.
Semper Fidelis
Doc Walker & Red Dog
After hearing the song, all we can say is: These guys need to be on Bill O'Reilly!
Why Poet Warriors?
"It is the soldier, not the poet who has given us freedom of speech."--Father Denis Edward O'Brien
We of the poet Warrior Project honor the lives, thoughts and souls of our soldiers in the US Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard. We recognize that, while many of the intelligentsia believe the words "soldier" and "poet" are antonyms, poets and warriors have been synonymous since Sun Tzu. From the British World War I poets to the American Revolution to the ancient Greeks, soldiers have chronicled the military life. Our men and women in the armed forces are bearing witness to a life lived to the fullest. These poems are part of our history. We invite soldier poets TO submit their works.
When Eagles Learn to Fly
by PFC Jamie A. Goldstein
2nd Battalion, 58th Infantry Regiment, US Army
This is the poem that launched it all...PFC Jamie A. Goldstein sent us this poem in May 2005 while he was in training. PFC Goldstein has now been deployed to Iraq. We pray for PFC Goldstein, applaud and honor his service to the United States of America, and applaud his mother, Wendy Goldstein, for bringing this poem to the attention of the American people. We honor and salute the Goldstein family for their sacrifice and for raising a remarkable young soldier whose eloquence, maturity and vision move us.
High atop a mountain,
The newest look around.
In their hearts they yearn to jump,
But to the nest, they’re bound.
They see what’s going on abroad,
And it consumes their thoughts.
There’s shoes to fill and prey to kill,
And targets to be caught.
They may be mean, they may be angry,
Strong may be their drive.
But all of that means nothing,
‘Til these eagles learn to fly.
They sacrifice their blood and sweat,
Earn feathers one-by-one,
And bleed and sweat they will, until
The day of training’s done.
And at that time, they then reflect,
On things they all have learned,
And often re-read passages,
From pages that they’ve turned.
With contempt for their confinement,
They sing verses as they cry,
But that will all soon change
When these eagles learn to fly.
Their blood is hot. Their eyes are cold.
Their hearts know not of fear.
They dream of wreaths of olive leaves,
But still clutch tight their spears.
Collectively they ponder,
The enemies they will try.
They’ve skills to hone and wings to grow,
But that, they know, takes time.
When the sand has fell completely,
And their wings spread true and wide,
They’ll soar across the skyline
And the world shall hear them cry:
“Those who dare burn olive branches,
Those who force their way,
Those who seize what isn’t theirs,
And dare refuse to pay,
Those who live by wicked values,
And dare to walk with pride,
Clear your throat and swallow,
For we have learned to fly!”
“Those who dare crusade,
Against the name of what is just,
Those who dare raise arms,
By exploiting others’ trust,
And expect a repercussion,
No more violent than a sigh,
Today you shall be proven wrong,
For we have learned to fly!”
“Those who dare condemn us,
For enjoying our free will,
Those who feel our choices,
Make us wrong enough to kill,
Those who dare assault us,
Anywhere at any time –
You’ve met your final adversary;
For we have learned to fly!”
14 January 2005
Copyright © Jamie A. Goldstein, 2005
DISCLAIMER: All poems are the intellectual property of the poets involved and cannot be reproduced without permission.
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