Rain fell from the stars
as muddy ACUs marched
hoping the 16k stretch
would be be at its end
the ache in their hearts
only comparable to their feet
their pain numbed by sleepiness
unfocused and stumbling
some dreamed of their families
a scream of the DS
left them phased and alert
a single soldier looked up
hoping for stars
clouds obscured his view
nearly as blurry as his own eye sight
he thought of the end
of how his trek
had begun
a worried young man
who put duty before anything
he had become what he wanted
a soldier someone
who could be looked up to
no longer just a shadow.