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Veteran's Day
Today is Veteran's Day in the USA. It is also th 5th anniversary of my Italian Greyhound, Miles, Death. He died 11/11 at 11:00 a.m, he was 11 yrs. old. He survived battles and helped me to surivive to write today.
Will humanity evolve beyond the need for creating bigger and better, costlier and deadlier weapons? Beyond the necessity of soldiers of any rank and file? Beyond the tears of loved ones who shall never touch their soldiers again? Beyond the anger and the vengeance of the way things are, the "other side". I don't know. Do you? Does anyone care to make a difference?
2008
Moses Is His Name
"In what would you say you have become most proficient?"
I ask the gawking baby-faced teenager, except that he's almost 30
and has seen more than his fair share of 'making history in the making'..
"Survival."
"Survival", you say.
"No, it's more than that, it has to be."
"Don't count on it."
"Ok."
"How do you survive?"
"That's tricky, dear." 'It's like asking why the sun rises every morning."
"Ok."
"I get it."
"You don't know for sure, do you?"
"No. And nobody does either."
"Just doing our doing. Not so sure these days. The bad guys don't
wear 10 gallon black hats anymore, besides, I've never been quite
sure who the bad guys are without someone up the ranks pointing them
out, now that I'm all grown-up and play for real."
"Like the politicians and the emperors, and the religious factions and
that pesky thing called 'society?'", I ask.
"Sure. Lots of folks on that f***ed up bandwagon. It gets real subtle too;
after watching it, defending your life so to speak, while listening to the cross-fire,
bullets whizzing past your head, and you know it don't make no bit of difference
to the holy ground where you get buried."
"Thanks, for the conversation Pvt. Moses Jones. Before I forget, how did you get your first name?"
"Funny you should ask that on Veteran's Day. At least that's one day we're not forgotten
and someone or another gets curious about stories and such.
Dear Veteran (2006)
Dear Veteran
I honour you today
I salute you
not because you have fought
not because you have returned
not because you have been or will
be buried 'neath the good ol' earth.
Did you know before you left when
that moment would come to pass?
when and where a bullet or explosion
had your name in its firm grasp?
I salute you
not because you are sound in mind
body and spirit
or because you are shattered.
not because your wild eyes speak
or because your lips are silent.
I salute you today
because unlike marriage vows to cherish
or the priests of many a parish
unlike the thousand and one untruths that
are spoken by us all,
you kept your promise
when you heard the call.
2009
I dedicate this poem to you, Soldier.
violet
presence
is the sky
or an 800 lb gorilla
crushing you,
your hunger
for love
now
a violet
underfoot
Soldiering is a risky business, no matter which side, how right or wrong, we return to the flowering of forgiveness.
Peace,
Anna
Will humanity evolve beyond the need for creating bigger and better, costlier and deadlier weapons? Beyond the necessity of soldiers of any rank and file? Beyond the tears of loved ones who shall never touch their soldiers again? Beyond the anger and the vengeance of the way things are, the "other side". I don't know. Do you? Does anyone care to make a difference?
2008
Moses Is His Name
"In what would you say you have become most proficient?"
I ask the gawking baby-faced teenager, except that he's almost 30
and has seen more than his fair share of 'making history in the making'..
"Survival."
"Survival", you say.
"No, it's more than that, it has to be."
"Don't count on it."
"Ok."
"How do you survive?"
"That's tricky, dear." 'It's like asking why the sun rises every morning."
"Ok."
"I get it."
"You don't know for sure, do you?"
"No. And nobody does either."
"Just doing our doing. Not so sure these days. The bad guys don't
wear 10 gallon black hats anymore, besides, I've never been quite
sure who the bad guys are without someone up the ranks pointing them
out, now that I'm all grown-up and play for real."
"Like the politicians and the emperors, and the religious factions and
that pesky thing called 'society?'", I ask.
"Sure. Lots of folks on that f***ed up bandwagon. It gets real subtle too;
after watching it, defending your life so to speak, while listening to the cross-fire,
bullets whizzing past your head, and you know it don't make no bit of difference
to the holy ground where you get buried."
"Thanks, for the conversation Pvt. Moses Jones. Before I forget, how did you get your first name?"
"Funny you should ask that on Veteran's Day. At least that's one day we're not forgotten
and someone or another gets curious about stories and such.
Dear Veteran (2006)
Dear Veteran
I honour you today
I salute you
not because you have fought
not because you have returned
not because you have been or will
be buried 'neath the good ol' earth.
Did you know before you left when
that moment would come to pass?
when and where a bullet or explosion
had your name in its firm grasp?
I salute you
not because you are sound in mind
body and spirit
or because you are shattered.
not because your wild eyes speak
or because your lips are silent.
I salute you today
because unlike marriage vows to cherish
or the priests of many a parish
unlike the thousand and one untruths that
are spoken by us all,
you kept your promise
when you heard the call.
2009
I dedicate this poem to you, Soldier.
violet
presence
is the sky
or an 800 lb gorilla
crushing you,
your hunger
for love
now
a violet
underfoot
Soldiering is a risky business, no matter which side, how right or wrong, we return to the flowering of forgiveness.
Peace,
Anna