Veteran's Day
VETERAN'S DAY
Once you were mine, as kith and as kin,
but you followed your duty into war.
You gave your life for someone else’s sin
next to guys you’d barely met before.
I tell my children of you, and all the rest
make sure they know that you were ours;
our brothers, our fathers, or any of the best
that were given over to stars and bars.
Young men and women with families all
tied to each of us by birth and societal tree.
Some saw a job and some heeded a call
but because they did we are all still free.
If you returned but left parts of you behind,
or if Fate never returned you to me at all,
if you were struck dumb, or deaf, or blind,
if all I knew of you was an etching on a wall
I would thank you with everything in my heart,
show you that your gift was not in vain.
We are free to act both together and apart
because of successful military campaigns.
And even if you had clerked files back on base
or repaired jeeps, dug ditches, or cooked in the mess,
your service and sacrifice cannot be replaced,
and upon you our grateful thanks we profess.
Shared with the marching band over at DVerse.
©2013 Christopher Reilley
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This is incredibly moving, Christopher! I felt every word.
ReplyDeleteNo soldier goes to war for his (her) country, not one. They go to fight for the brother (or sister) next to them, who are not guys disparaged as barely met. This romantisised notion of virtuous Hellenic soldiers is one that would worry anyone on the battlefield. They are not voluntarily sacrificing themselves for any greater good. If they were they would be too resonant of others out there, no?Soldiers sign up for many reasons, and those who sign up to kill are a potentially serious problem. The idea they fight for "our" freedom is patronising and farfetched.
ReplyDeleteONE day a year, this glorified Veteran's day. ONE.
My apologies for this comment but it is extremely heartfelt, and takes nothing away from the merits of the poem scribed. I do feel my words absolutely had to be said.
Have a good day, sincerely.
A beautifully written tribute.
ReplyDeleteI think being a soldier is far more complicated in reality... fighting for freedom is so complicated and all those decisions are made by others. I think the soldiers need their day, but we need to acknowledge that not all wars are fought for the right reasons, and we have to acknowledge that the enemy's soldiers are also fighting for something that they don't really understand.
ReplyDelete