…the written companion to the Unpopped Colonels Podcast…

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June 26, 2023

As we described in our “Flat Earthers” episode, here are a few Flat Earth maps from differing proponents and time periods…

19 September 2023

To Succeed or To Fail

I went where others feared to go, I did what others feared to do.

  The sites, the sounds, the smells, all different.

    Different hills, different buildings.

      Different animals, different plants.

        Different faces, different words.

Some better, some worse, but always different.

  A bucket of apples from a grandma.

    A lunch with a village Family.

      A tearful touch on my cheek from the liberated.

        A spit in the face from those back home.

To succeed or to fail, nothing in between.

  It gets tiring, you know – never allowed to be in between.

    No momentary lapse in judgement.

      No harmless mistake enroute.

        Always just perfection, nothing less.

To “succeed” means Victory for someone far away.

  A medal for me, a story to tell.

    A handshake from a stranger, a smile in return.

      Perhaps a book or movie performed by those who never spilled a drop of sweat or blood.

        In a land far away.

To “fail” means Defeat, but only just for me.

  No one else to bare the pain.

    They’ll always just point their finger at me.

      They’ll always just turn their backs from me.

        Never providing empathy, care, or pride in me.

I am the parent of two small children: Fear and Calm.

  I love and embrace them each.

    They walk beside me wherever I go.

      They play, they eat, and they nap together.

        Sometimes, just sometimes, they leave giggling along the way, as if I want to chase them.

        But in the end, I don’t.

Christopher L. Warner

Colonel, US Army (Retired)