THE PEACEKEEPER by Cory Kavanagh There is no escape from these feelings That have built a nest within the center of my soul Try as I might to ignore them A constant bell is ringing to remind me That they do indeed exist Every child I see standing on a bed of rocks with nothing to protect his feet Propels these feelings to rise to the surface and at times Form pools within my eyes Every three-foot long stony grave that align the dirt roads Takes my breath away when I pass by, and makes me wonder Why? There is no place to hide from the results of reckless fighting and mass destruction It is reflected in the eyes of every woman and child standing by their dirt huts In the eyes of every wounded soldier who limps across a bloody field Now as I stand here at the ceremony to reward our presence in these lands These feelings that have burrowed within my soul ravage my body Without a sense of direction Pride, Frustration, Empathy, Loneliness, Confusion, Anger, and Compassion Encompass my mind As the faint sounds of an echoing microphone fill my ears One question repeats itself over and over Why? Years from now, long after reality turns to memory I will get word that there is fighting once more The memories of the many months spent away from family and friends Will again call for the answer to the question Why? A young child stands alone. Nothing to protect his calloused feet, little nourishment to fill his empty stomach, and no certainty in his future, yet he manages to look up at me with his tired eyes, and smile the greatest smile. His tiny mouth contorts to form the words – Thank-you. That is Why.