Sunday, March 16, 2008

I Run



I RUN



Sergeant Charles E.G. Harding, US Army, 15PSB 1st Cavalry Division



Note: Sergeant Harding retired from the Army after he returned from Iraq in 2005 and is putting together a book of his collected poetry dealing with "war and love and and life." Like our first poet warrior, PFC Jamie A. Goldstein, whose mom lovingly e-mailed his poem, Sergeant Harding has a loyal fan who submitted this moving verse: his fiancee Samantha from the United Kingdom, who met him face to face for the first time once he left the Army after an eighteen-month long-distance romance. As Samantha says, it's a real love story. We salute Sergeat Harding for his service, courage, dedication and eloquence. We also salute Samantha for supporting poet warriors--she's helping him make his book a reality--and wish Charles and Samantha happiness as well as success with their poetry book!



I run for the soldiers,
Who can't run, no more
Or walk the way they did before
I live and breathe, all the memories
Of all soldiers passed, who are here, no more



Old soldier, old soldier!
Tell me again.
The people you've known
And the places you've been
How do I deal?
With the loss of my men
And what do I tell, their next of kin



Honor all soldiers
Who have passed away

By leading the living

When you train and pray


Tomorrow is not promised

So, seize the day!

And let the strain of gain

Wash the pain, away





I run for the soldiers, who can't run, no more

Or walk the way they did before

I live and breathe, all the memories
Of all soldiers passed, who are here, no more





Iraq, June 2004



Copyright Charles E.G. Harding, 2004


DISCLAIMER: All poems are the intellectual property of the poets involved and cannot be reproduced without permission.


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