Veteran's Day
Had hoped for an end to the fighting,
The killing,
The pain.
The bad dream is passed down through the ages,
The wanting to fight,
Not for poets or sages.
Takes a strong man or woman to conquer a foe,
Many die, or are wounded, Body & Soul.
Once they're safely back home, adjustment is slow,
interrupted by pain, sorrow, regret and no dough.
The shelling a whistle in their deepest dark dreams,
The waking a panic,
Checking for their limbs.
My Dad, a Marine, 91 years of age, rugged WW2 Vet,
With a heart, if you let Him run the controls,
He's in charge & his old ways are set.
His grandfather came to US as a lad,
To escape Army service, in his Prussian native land.
Dad and his brother fought in the war,
Dad told me it was nothing,
He lied now I know,
Whether fighting or training or planning for war,
War is Hell, I know you have heard it before.
To all Veterans & families, friends, neighbors & all Americans,
Be proud of our nation,
We would not be here without them.
