Desert Rose

Poem written in Oct 2004 by a Medic from Stryker Brigade for his wife. It was written during the rise in violence just before the Strykers came home.

Desert Rose
I stood today and faced my doom;
looked death straight in the eye.
And as I stood and held my own
the fear would not subside.
Though I was scared I shook not once,
despite the circumstance.
Cause miles away a woman waits
for another lover's dance.
With this in mind how could I fall
and not return back home?
And not go back to that perfect world
that we now call our own.
As shots rang out my mind was filled
with thoughts of only her.
Her hair, her smell, her perfect lips
turned war into a blur.
Soon it stopped and peace returned,
I looked to God above.
And thanked my Lord for one more day
for me to be in love.
As we turned and started back
ruins were all I saw,
except in one small piece of earth where a single rose grew tall.
I stared in wonder of how such beauty
could thrive in all this waste.
And as I stared a single tear
ran down my war scarred face.
It finally occurred to me
no matter how hard the fight
There is always one bright ray of light
even in the darkest night.
That's what you are to me my dear
you are my ray of light.
You're love, you're hope, you're happiness,
you're everything I know.
You're the only thing I want and need,
You are my desert rose.
- By docmauney