The Sentry is about the space before the fire. It’s not rage, not destruction—it’s the weight that comes before it. The stillness that steadies it. Written in quiet defiance, this piece speaks from the perspective of the smoke—the watchful presence that protects, absorbs, and endures.

It’s a letter to my son. A reflection on what it means to guard something powerful without needing to be seen. Where The Sentinel was about the Earth and memory, The Sentry is more personal. It's about fatherhood, restraint, and the quiet kind of love that holds the line when others can’t.

If you’ve ever stood back to let someone shine, if you’ve ever carried weight so someone else didn’t have to—this is for you.

— Dave J. Smith