ODE TO A VIETNAM VETERAN
I made a warrior cry today;
A man I had just met.
The ballcap perched upon his head
Proclaimed “Vietnam Vet”.
A missing limb and crutches
Stood as silent testament
To the horrors he had lived through
And the hard years he has spent .
The tears welled up behind his eyes,
And he looked a little nervous,
When I simply spoke five little words:
“Thank you for your service”.
How much those few words meant to him
He said I’d never know;
The words he should have heard, but didn’t,
So many years ago.
He is no less, or more, heroic
Than soldiers past or present,
But he never got the welcome home
His sacrifices warrant.
Few soldiers want to go to war,
Or find in it much pleasure:
They fight and die for those they love
And the Liberty they treasure.
In foreign lands their blood is spilled;
Our Fathers, sons, and brothers.
Don’t forget, your freedom costs
The lives and limbs of others.
So whether you agree, or not,
With what they’re called to do;
Step up and shake the hands of those
Who stood and fought for you.
Henri Boyea
copyright 2009
Permission to share if authorship acknowledged.
For-profit use requires written permission.
The ballcap perched upon his head
Proclaimed “Vietnam Vet”.
A missing limb and crutches
Stood as silent testament
To the horrors he had lived through
And the hard years he has spent .
The tears welled up behind his eyes,
And he looked a little nervous,
When I simply spoke five little words:
“Thank you for your service”.
How much those few words meant to him
He said I’d never know;
The words he should have heard, but didn’t,
So many years ago.
He is no less, or more, heroic
Than soldiers past or present,
But he never got the welcome home
His sacrifices warrant.
Few soldiers want to go to war,
Or find in it much pleasure:
They fight and die for those they love
And the Liberty they treasure.
In foreign lands their blood is spilled;
Our Fathers, sons, and brothers.
Don’t forget, your freedom costs
The lives and limbs of others.
So whether you agree, or not,
With what they’re called to do;
Step up and shake the hands of those
Who stood and fought for you.
Henri Boyea
copyright 2009
Permission to share if authorship acknowledged.
For-profit use requires written permission.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Your comment is appreciated and helps me in choosing various subjects for my posts. Thank you. Ce blogger apprécie vos commentaires qui l´aident à choisir de nouveaux thèmes.. Seus comentarios são bemvindos e ajudam este blogger na escolha de uma variedade de temas.