Oh Gentle Warrior

By Nikhil Majumder-Singh

Posted on May 1, 2025

Cover Image Title: The Warrior

Cover Image by: Saanika

Classification: Digital Artwork

Specifications: 2000 pixels X 1600 pixels

Year: 2025

Location: California, U.S.A.

Oh gentle warrior, where art thou in times of need?

Where’ve you gone, which empty words do you heed?

What path do you follow, which spirits do you see?

Whose ghosts do you visit, and what will set you free?

Oh gentle warrior, why is your hand crimson red?

Do you feel my gentle touch, do you remember what you said?

Do you walk across those fields, is my heart still in your head?

Or have you gone to see your friends again, and left me for the dead?

Oh gentle warrior, can you speak and can you hear?

Where indeed have you gone, and when will you appear?

Is the sky grey with smoke, or is it blue and is it clear?

When it rains do you feel comfort, or that reminiscent drear?

Oh gentle warrior, when you stand do you feel tall?

Do you remember how to hide, and do you remember how to crawl?

Does the reaper grab your knees, and does he make you fall?

Oh gentle warrior, why are you not so gentle at all?

Description: 

This poem reflects the emotional turmoil created by the impact of war, both on the soldiers who fight and the loved ones they leave behind. The repeated call of "Oh gentle warrior" captures a sense of longing and sorrow as the poem describes the transformation that war brings to those who once embodied gentleness and humanity. The poem explores themes of loss, memory, and the haunting nature of battle, using a series of poignant questions. The imagery I display, featuring crimson red, ghosts, and the reaper, conveys the physical and psychological toll of war, while the gentle tone contrasts with the unfortunate realities being questioned. 

[ Writing Editor: Paul Shannon. ]