On Desert Sand

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The First of a two part storytelling poem this is in honor of all those heroes who have served On Desert Sand... She walks leaning heavily On the wooden cane. She's come a long way Since she came back from Broken and Bloodied. She'd never be put back together again. She remembered those first few days Conscious in a blur Remembered running to the aid Of a terrified boy A soldier not ready to die. She had saved his life But nearly lost hers She saw legs with size eight combat boots A few feet from her and knew Instantly what had happened. She didn't drift out until they Had stabilized her She remembered being loaded into the air ambulance Quietly praying she'd survive Then she drifted off to a place she was free of pain. She woke up to strange sounds And a familiar face Her baby sister Courtney who was terrified of planes Had flown to be with her. It was hard those first weeks To simply stay awake. Your body healed when you slept She knew that But nothing could give you amputated limbs back. When she was stabilized once more She was sent back to the states To Walter Reed Hospital Her sister always by her side. She had a long road ahead of her She knew that But Cheyenne was no stranger to hard Work. Giving up was not an option She was a Soldier, broken and battered But she had survived. During those moments She felt utterly broken Remembering that Desert And it's danger But it's beauty too Always had a way of lifting her up. She'd close her eyes And see a child's hands reach out For a Chocolate bar A luxury so many couldn't afford. Some thought of that place As Hell but Cheyenne saw the beauty there. "Someday I'm going back, Not as a soldier But I can do something to help." "I'll go with you Courtney said." Not a doubt In her mind her sister would do as she said. It took her months, but she learned To walk again On legs of titanium and plastic Only a hand carved wooden cane as her aid. To Be Continued In On A Dime