Soldiers Only Cry In The Dark

by Dougie Durrant
(Northern Ireland)

Vets

Dark nights are the only time a soldier will cry.
He thinks of the past and the hell he has seen.
He cries for his fellow warrior whom he could not save.
He cries for the lifeless soldier he cradled in his arms.
He cries for the family he has to meet and tell that their father was a good man and he’s sorry for their loss.
He will cry at the loss of his fellow soldier and the battles they have fought.
He will cry at the tears that he cannot shed for the crying is only in his head.
He will cry for the way life is treating him after he has served his country well.
He will cry for the country he once worshiped so well that has now cast him aside like a used nappy.
He will cry, for no one understands the pain in his head.
He will cry but no one can see because it’s dark.
How do I know what crying is about? because I am that soldier who cries in the dark.