What Makes a Warrior

I cannot presume
To tell anyone
What a warrior is.

Nor do I claim
To embody any
Of his qualities.

All I offer here
Is a collection
Of impressions
Or meditations.

A warrior is
A state of being;
Armaments
Are mere props.

The only weapon
He might possess
Is implacable resolve
In the face of
Extreme adversity.

A warrior's language
Or internal dialogue
Has no allowance
For the phrase,
"I can't."

All the same,
He discriminates
Between causes 
That are just and
Those that are not.

He determines the
Character, as well as
The time and place
Of his battles, 
Investing himself utterly.

And he remains
Ever prepared
For those who would
Bring their battles 
To him.

Yet a warrior meets life
On its own terms
With no delusions
Of bending it
To his own will.

Self-pity is a 
Useless indulgence,
Yet he has compassion
For the weak; he never
Places himself above
Others, for how can he?

All this being said,
And human nature
Being what it is,
His greatest enemy
May yet be none other
Than himself.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2015

Poem

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Godwin Avatar
August 11, 2018 at 4:43 PM
I absolutely love this poem because in many ways it captures the man I love who I feel certain in other lifetimes was a warrior. I realize that may or may not have you shaking your head. He is still invested with each trait you described and striving in this lifetime to give his all in love, to those he loves as opposed to leading a solitary, ever alert and battle-ready life. I am faving this and so delighted to have stumbled onto it. All the best ... CayCay
Molasar Avatar
August 11, 2018 at 7:01 PM
Thanks for your comment. I was in the USAF from 1971 to 1981 but also have been told I was a warrior in another life but gave it up. I absolutely believe that. R -
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