After 23 years in the military, here I am in my next chapter of life, 17yrs as a security adviser. Iraq, 2003.
I received a wee whisper in my head
Be cautious when you rise from your bed
As the path ahead runs red
There are many innocents along it lying dead
I worked on “the circuit” after being a soldier
Much caution indeed as I became bolder
Travelling alone as I grew older
No more wingmen for support on my shoulder
A life of making tough choices
I would listen to all of the voices
But ultimately it became my call
whether we would survive, or whether we would fall
From the military to this new phase
Most days the ground would be ablaze
By an enemy that was rarely seen
As I cover my tracks from where I had been
For almost forty years of my seventy now
I spent my time in war where people would row
Good men, women, and kids blown to bits
People are screaming and losing their wits
Hearing, touching, smelling, seeing, and feeling pain
In the heat, the cold, the dry, and in the rain
But strangely, I continued along that bloody path
And kept on going despite the wrath
I lived content with the feeling of belonging
To remain in conflict I therefore had a longing
But now as I live retired
There are times that I feel unwired
With my wife, kids, and grandkids, I feel just fine
Like forever the sun will shine
But out on the street where it’s full of strangers
I want to be back on that bloody path full of dangers
The path no doubt is where I belong
As I now walk towards the end of my song
Bob Shepherd 