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I am not a Viking
My hands have never known violence
Or taken what wasn’t theirs to take.
They have never hefted an ax
In an arc above my head
Or brought it down on an
Enemy’s delicate skull.
I haven’t shivered in the hull
Of a long wooden ship
Eager for an unknown shore.
I am not a Spartan
I have not hardened my body
Through pain and want and meager food.
I have never held a shield
Or worn a weathered bronze helmet,
My enemies to the front of me,
My loved ones to the back.
I have not embraced austerity
As a point of honor
As the mark of a fearless soldier.
I am not a Samurai
I have never nocked an arrow to a bow
Or curled my fingers around a katana’s hilt.
I have never swallowed my fear
In the face of an invading army
As eager to kill me as I am to live
Or at least not to die in shame.
No one cowers behind me
While I stand and face danger
My body all that separates them.
I am a quiet warrior.
Awake in the early morning
Ready for the modern battle.
Ready to wrestle pennies
Into the spaces where dollars should be,
My battleground a crowded highway,
A job that never satisfies.
Giving away hours
That will only come once
The price for them never high enough.
I am a steady soldier,
Not exactly noble
But selfless enough.
If I am not careful
Boredom will flatten me down
Where poverty doesn’t,
Both enemies at the gate.
The choice is simple:
Those I love over things I want
Every day, every day, every day.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything