The Veteran - Sestina

 The Veteran

The morning he came home as a Veteran,
He didn’t feel the joy of love
He didn’t feel the pride of his duty,
He believed his mission was done with honor,
Though his part was small, and he wasn’t a hero,
He came home proud only to be humble

He quietly loved his life and family and he stayed humble,
He never announced that he was a veteran
He never wanted to feel like a hero,
He wanted to find peace, with integrity and love,
He simply wanted to forge a quiet life of honor
Doing what was right was still his duty

The word echoed in his mind, “duty”
A word that always kept him humble
His civilian life was one of honor,
And he started liking his life as a veteran
He began to think of his service with love,
And he began to see a volunteer as a hero

Something happened when he saw selflessness become heroic
Something happened when helping became duty,
It wasn’t about pride, it was about love
Learning to love himself made him truly humble,
That was what it was to be a veteran,
That was where he truly found honor

He served not for glory, but for your honor,
He served because those he loved were truly heroes,
Those at home were why he was a veteran,
And he saw that end-of-service was never end-of-duty,
He always held watch, ever so humble
Freely given to all with love

He never expected anything in return, but a little love
He volunteered not for glory or honor,
He continued to serve to keep himself humble
Little did he know that he became a hero,
To those with which he shared the same sense of duty,
To those who also wore the hat of a veteran

He never wanted the love of a hero,
He only wanted to honor his duty,
In his life as a humble veteran

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