Noble Is the Soul

Often forgotten about,
not beholden to the world.

Only when you’re alone
does it seem to speak
itself true.

Ways of the world,
winds of the world,
give a bifurcated view,
blinding as time.

Effervescent are ideas,
often extrinsic to ourselves,
born of nightmares.

So are our dreams,
better visions of ourselves.

Oh, the world forsakes us,
never our dreams.

That which defines us,
those that are intrinsic,
not beholden to the world,
but ourselves.

What else does the soul speak to
but a better part of you?

Made weary by an amoral world,
oh, sullied is the soul,
even though it speaks the best of you.

Noble is the soul.
So are you.

_____________________________

Ryan Mimna lives in Philadelphia and works in the finance industry. He served in the U.S. Army from 2011 to 2015 and, after completing the Ranger pipeline, served with 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, including multiple tours in Afghanistan. After leaving the Army, he finished a bachelor’s degree in political science at the University of Pennsylvania, where he began writing and later turned toward poetry. For The Havok Journal, he writes reflective pieces and poetry, often centered on fear, meaning, and the inner life.

As the Voice of the Veteran Community, The Havok Journal seeks to publish a variety of perspectives on a number of sensitive subjects. Unless specifically noted otherwise, nothing we publish is an official point of view of The Havok Journal or any part of the U.S. government.