Would He Do It Again?
by Lisa McCourt Hollar
He stood there on the corner,
A sign held in his hand,
And people walking by him,
But no one gave a damn,
To words that he had scrawled,
Asking for their aid,
Nor did they care to know,
The price that he had paid.
In service to his country,
Our freedom he'd defend,
Standing up for what is right,
Even to the end.
He'd seen a lot of dying,
Been shot at more than once,
But nothing had prepared him
For his ride home on the bus.
A lot of angry glances
And words were cast his way,
Someone called him killer,
Others spit on him that day.
Was this what he'd defended?
Was this worth the life he'd lost?
Would he even have done it,
If he'd known this was the cost?
That was many years ago,
But the burden still remains
As people walking past him
Continue to call him names.
Old man he heard one say,
Cripple another said,
And for the briefest moment,
He wished that he were dead.
But then a little girl,
With her grandpa by her side,
Gave his shirt a gentle tug,
She wouldn't be denied,
The chance she had to thank him,
For the service that he gave,
Defending our nations freedom,
And she thought him very brave.
She told him he was a hero
And his heart was very pleased,
As the burden that he'd carried
All these years was finally eased.
Liberty comes with a price
And it never has been free,
Brave soldiers gave their lives
For more than you and me.
War is never pretty,
It sure as hell's not fun,
But for the cause of freedom
It sometimes must be done.
So when you see a veteran,
Instead of walking by,
Stop and tell him thank you
For keeping freedom alive.
Robert C. Nelson
ReplyDeleteUnited States Air Force
1965-1969
Wounded in action
POW
I would do it again!
Thank you for this amazing poem, Lisa. I will post it on Angelic Knight Press when I get back from the Veterans Day ceremonies.
Blaze
Thank you Blaze for your service. I nearly cried today when I shook a man's hand today and thanked him and then Caleb held out his hand too. I am so emotional, lol.
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ReplyDeleteLisa this is absolutely beautiful. I will now dry my eyes...
ReplyDeleteWould like to recognize two very special men in my life.
My father: Major Jack McMillin (Ret 1972)
United States Air Force
1951 - 1972
My husband: Barry Kortekaas
United States Army
1990-1994
Wounded on active duty
It amazes me how we who write horror should be so compassionate. You are both special people, Lisa and T.K.
ReplyDeleteBlaze