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April 25, 2010

A Soldier's Prayer

By Doug Soderstrom

A soldier's prayer that he might become at one with his enemy, that he might choose to become his enemy's friend rather than choosing to kill his enemy.

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A Soldier's Prayer

Dear Lord,
I am but a soldier,
Caught up in a world,
That I do not,
That I cannot,
Understand.

Just a simple man,
A woman,
Having been thrust,
Into a war,
Between two foes,
Each bent upon,
Destroying the other.

I have been told,
That we are good,
And that they,
The enemy,
Are evil.

An individual..... a foreigner,
Suspended,
Midway,
Between the two.

Dear Lord,
Guide me in thy ways,
Teach me how to think,
Tell me how to live my life.

Grant me the strength,
To stand up,
Even the courage,
To follow in thy ways,
The wisdom to walk,
In your footsteps.

That I might take my place,
At your side,
That I might share with you,
The passion of "the cross."

That I might learn,
To love my enemy,
That I might,
Learn to stand,
In his shoes,
That I might,
Realize that his pain,
Is the same,
As my own.

I pray that you would,
Take me in thy hand,
That you would mold me,
Remake me,
To be more like you.

That I might look upon,
My foe as a friend,
That I might,
Extend to him my hand,
That in the presence,
Of your love,
We might become as one.



Authors Bio:

Doug Soderstrom is a retired Professor of Psychology having taught for forty-two years at the college level. He was a columnist for the Populist Party of America (www.populistamerica.com/now discontinued) and has been a feature writer for www.iranian.com. His main interest at the present time is in writing poetry, and is in the process of gathering together somewhere around 700 poems that he has written over the past fifteen years, and will be publishing a book entitled "Loose Cannon Parables" if he can find a publisher willing to take on the job of publishing his book of poems.


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