Per Ardua Ad Astra

Plentiful the storeroom as I return my kit Everything an Airman needed for a career Returned this last day Air Force veteran is my new name Retired medically for service injuries Duty to Queen and Country Until I could no more And still it hurts to walk away Aviation was my life’s passion Destined to this career Administrative duties School, and a new beginning Training and development consultant Reinvented myself again Airman always in my heart, until my life’s end. © 2014 CM Davidson Note (for the contest "Beginnings Matter" (Richard Lamoureux): This first poem was somewhat intimidating, as I had not written in several years (almost two decades) for personal reasons. Deciding to submit this poem was actually quite cathartic (once I finally hit the submit button), as it signified that I had moved beyond what silenced my pen. Not only that, but the content of the poem signified a large portion of my life having come to a close and with closure came reality. That was more intimidating than putting proverbial pen to paper; reality is, once I came to that realization, I felt pretty good about posting this initial poem to "the Soup".