Standing erect, never flinching,
The soldier receives his medal,
Signifying his bravery and heroism.
He fought for his country,
and almost lost everything, including his life.
To his fellow soldiers, and to his country,
he is perceived a hero. Cheering locals greet him
at his welcome home parade. This man is a local idol,
an icon to the young.
He is what the war is about to them;
the comradeship of the unit,
the victim of a bomb, or a soldier caught in an ambush,
wounded, but staying alive, to save his brothers.
Yet this man carries a wound,
Not visible to the eye.
It runs deep within him,
Binding to the oxygen in his blood,
he feels it with every breathe he takes.
Every step or movement he makes,
He feels it, burning inside him;
His own personal Hell.
He is haunted by the life he left in Iraq,
His eyelids are the screens,
and the movies are his memories,
his seat lacks comfort, and there’s nowhere to hide.
this is a no return ticket,
into the nightmares that disturb him for eternity.
He lives from his duffle bag,
and is on edge around the clock.
His hands shake,
And loud noises cause him to recoil,
Perhaps readying him for battle.
He lives in paranoia, bathes in suspicion
And sleeps with fear.
He is drowning in the “real” world,
sinking fast.
The weight of the war is pulling him down,
and he needs a life vest to save him.
To his fellow soldiers, and to his country,
he is perceived a hero.
Cheering locals greet him
at his welcome home parade.
This man is a local idol,
an icon to the young.
Standing erect, never flinching,
The soldier receives his medal.
A contest entry
- The Ten by lowercase prelude.
500 points, ended July 20, 21 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
-
MIA
I am soldier
I fought at Thermopoly
to give you democracy
freedom
I flew into La Drang (the valley of death)
in '65
I endured the carnage at Khe Sahn
before the rains lifted in January of '68
I'm MIA
no one found me
I'm still in the jungle
looking for hallowed ground
got drafted in '67
jerked out of my life
honor...duty...country
and it's real
I'm still MIA
and God is always on our side
a young woman has a silver bracelet
with my name on it
she wears it proud
just as I am
it's tarnished with age
little scratches showing where she's been
the deep one happened at the kid's swing set
the other at the grocery
didn't take it off in the shower
it made it to candle light
and I love you's
a silver MIA
just a name etched
got caught in an ambush
never lost a battle
but lost the war
never got to see "little sleepy eyes" again
never got to "holdin' like no other" again
I'm now in the wall
with all my brothers
20 inches all 'round
fingers trace granite names
paper pencil rubbings
forgotten medals
teddy bears
fresh roses
line the floor
of this stone church
a hand rests against this rock
in teared bowed prayer
I was MIA
never to be found
somehow I was brought home
never to be alone again
My name is specialist 4th class Charles Edwin Sammons
of the 234th Signal Battlion 34th Infantry Division
Welcome home all brothers
...I am soldier
Author notes
War is very special...it's the last thing you'd ever want to do.
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