Valhalla Awaits

(I wrote this about 20 years ago after hearing about a friend from high school who had died, and is one of the few poems that I ever liked of my own.)

Valhalla Awaits

I fear not what awaits on the other side,
For I am a Soldier and I know.

Many are the eye that look toward me,
Faces of those who have passed before,
Not judging, for they have been there also.

On feathered wings of resplendent light,
I will be carried to the Soldiers paradise.
By beauties with golden hair and gleaming swords
Streaming through the air, guiding my soul.

“Lo, he comes,” is the cry that arises.
“Lo, here I am,” is the cry I return.
And tears fall for those left behind,
For they don’t know the beauty and camaraderie
That awaits the Soldier in Valhalla.

Never again to feel pain of sword or bullet passed,
Or to feel hunger while waiting on battle,
Never again to feel worry for those on the front line,
Or to feel betrayed by conscience.

I can now join my brothers and sisters
Who have fought in numerous fights and countless wars,
Those that know what a Soldier is about.

I need not fear what awaits on the other side,
For I am a Soldier and I know.