by Webb Nichols
“Thank you for your service”
You say to me
You may wonder why I grimace
You meant to make me feel better
What to do with
“Thank you for your service”
No one who has been to war wants more war
War is never the answer to a disagreement
no matter how small
Or how large
Can War ever be forgiven?
We are here honoring
the courageous sacrifices
of not only the “Fallen”
but also, the “Living”
In the past We believed there existed just wars?
Moral Imperatives?
Defending what we hold dear.
But now
What do we know?
“An eye for an Eye
And soon everyone is blind”?
“War gives birth to profiteers
And buries the “exploited”
And the “Innocent”?
“Thank you for your Service” you say
You are forgiven for not stopping
To hear my story
Who would really want to?
Feeling The adrenalin rush of a firefight bullets passing so close one could hear them
Will never have dominion over the cries and suffering of the dying
Blood flowing and bodies scattered everywhere
an unholy spectacle of human fear and rage
no matter whether accident or intention.
In the dark abyss of night
in the witnessing light of day
Only Death silences the screams and moans of the
Dying
What to do with
“Thank you for your service”
We try so hard to comfort each other
You try so hard to make me feel better
Or even proud
I am sorry I do not know what to do
with your kindness and your caring
I believe comfort will only come to us
Patriots, Veterans, citizens,
the forgotten
when we join together
and
speak out to bring
about the end of war
and
the rebirth
of a just and equitable World
The world desperately needs our help
We desperately need the help of
a kind and compassionate World
