The Soldier In me

This is a poem I wrote sometime in 2004. It is raw, but I like it still, for it evinces my admiration and love for the soldiers of our land.

The Soldier In Me

Not too long ago, I was a body with no soul,
A wanderer without purpose, without a goal.
A scorned, unwanted and unhappy life I led,
Sometimes wishing I could just drop dead.
Society branded me a misfit and they laughed-
They laughed at me, and how they laughed!

Now at my country's border I stand,
Tri-colour on my chest and rifle in hand.
And finally in my life, purpose I can see.
Till I collapse and my last breath deserts me,
My motherland I shall guard, for I love her,
Yes, this is the new me, me the soldier.

Sometimes, even now, their laughter I can hear;
"He just wanted to run away", they mockingly leer.
But then, "Do not look back", the soldier in me says;
A soldier has no past, he only looks onward always.
Besides, a noble job I have, that of protecting
A billion brothers, oh what a thing to do for a living!

On some nights, when in a lonely bunker I lie,
A skeptical voice within asks, "What if I die?"
But the soldier in me always rises to reply,
'Worthy is the man who dies for a cause,
And an entire nation shall mourn his loss'.
And in that reply, my salvation I find.