Michelle Renee Kidwell
The First of a two part storytelling poem this is in honor of all those heroes who have served
On Desert Sand…
She walks leaning heavily
On the wooden cane.
She’s come a long way
Since she came back from
Broken and Bloodied.
She’d never be put back together again.
She remembered those first few days
Conscious in a blur
Remembered running to the aid
Of a terrified boy
A soldier not ready to die.
She had saved his life
But nearly lost hers
She saw legs with size eight combat boots
A few feet from her and knew
Instantly what had happened.
She didn’t drift out until they
Had stabilized her
She remembered being loaded into the air ambulance
Quietly praying she’d survive
Then she drifted off to a place she was free of pain.
She woke up to strange sounds
And a familiar face
Her baby sister Courtney who was terrified of planes
Had flown to be with her.
It was hard those first weeks
To simply stay awake.
Your body healed when you slept
She knew that
But nothing could give you amputated limbs back.
When she was stabilized once more
She was sent back to the states
To Walter Reed Hospital
Her sister always by her side.
She had a long road ahead of her
She knew that
But Cheyenne was no stranger to hard Work.
Giving up was not an option
She was a Soldier, broken and battered
But she had survived.
During those moments
She felt utterly broken
Remembering that Desert
And it’s danger
But it’s beauty too
Always had a way of lifting her up.
She’d close her eyes
And see a child’s hands reach out
For a Chocolate bar
A luxury so many couldn’t afford.
Some thought of that place
As Hell but Cheyenne saw the beauty there.
“Someday I’m going back,
Not as a soldier
But I can do something to help.”
“I’ll go with you
Courtney said.” Not a doubt
In her mind her sister would do as she said.
It took her months, but she learned
To walk again
On legs of titanium and plastic
Only a hand carved wooden cane as her aid.
To Be Continued In On A Dime
