A sunny Spring day,
Perfect in every way
A day just like many years
before,
When we were young and off to
war
Marching in a glorious parade,
Soaking up patriotic accolades
Old men spoke impassioned
words,
For a noble cause now blurred
Lost somewhere in the fog of
recollection
The war took us in a
different direction
To an inferno where our
demons convened
Scarred battlefields strewn
with mangled dreams
Tourists today visit the manicured
site
Trying to get their photo ops
right
Right next to the souvenir
shop stands a plaque
Recounting a litany of
casualty facts
Most don’t even bother
reading the sign
Now just big numbers
diminished by time,
But to us forgotten ghosts
who didn’t come back
Our sacrifice is more than a
mere statistical fact
Not that we require any
bronze statues
Dying was never what we
intended to do
Heroes we became quite
accidentally
Fighting forever battles
throughout eternity
We are the faceless
casualties of war
Still trying to figure out what
we died for
Oh, this is packed with so much truth, Steve. The soldiers are just the pawns on someone's massive chessboard. For those who fought and lost, the pain is immeasurable.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the very perceptive feedback..The poem was inspired by a field trip I took in high school to the Gettysburg.Civil War battlefield.
ReplyDeleteSo much of our history is drenched in blood,battles and casualty numbers and the sacrifices these brave soldiers made is truly unappreciated today. Sorry to ramble so, but I'm glad I could share this with you. Thanks again..
This is full of many feelings over this men and women who fought.
ReplyDeleteYou did a really fine job writing this.
xx
Thanks Sabine. Yesterday was Memorial Day here in the USA and it's staggering to look back at our history and reflect on all the young lives lost for something as stupid as war
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