August 10, 2007

My Journey to God

Salute to My Soldier

I thank you, God, for my soldier,
Always on the watch for the evil eyes,
The eyes looking at the colorful,
The beautiful, the just and
The peace-loving America.

Nobody else but my hero,
My brave, blessed and priceless soldier,
Leaves their beloved ones behind,
Goes to a foreign land
To engage the evil,
Only to make sure
The greatest nation of America
Keeps enjoying peace and prosperity
With freedom.

But some cowards discredit
The dedication and sacrifice of my soldier.
They spit on my soldier’s face
With cold reception as he returns.
And sometimes,
When my soldier comes back
In a long box,
Wrapped in an honored flag,
These ungrateful cowards
Dishonor and desecrate my soldier.
They light the flag into flames.

Dear God,
Teach some freedom-loving people
To express freedom wisely.

By Munawar Paul

(Munawar Paul resides in Indianapolis. U.S. Army personnel gather flags to place on the graves of fallen soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., in May.) †

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