Silent Sentinels Poem by Susanta Pattnayak

They walked through storms with a silent smile,
The thunder bowed to their grace all the while.
No trumpet sang but battles won,
The sun rose when night was done.

No heralds called, no banners unfurled,
Yet echoes of light rewrote the world.
In shadows deep where danger lay,
They carved the path, they held the day.

Boots on soil, hearts of flame,
Their oath was quiet, but never tame.
Each breath a vow, each step a shield,
They bled in silence, never to yield.

For every dawn that kissed our skies,
A soldier stood where silence lies.
Not for glory, nor for praise,
But for the homeland their courage stays.

Through deserts dry and forests wide,
Through oceans deep and mountain's side—
They hold the line with iron grace,
Guarding time, guarding place.

So let no stone forget their name,
Their quiet fire, their holy flame.
In every flag that proudly flies,
Their soul, unbroken, never dies.


Susanta Pattnayak