When I was a young man
the president sent me a letter
instructing me to report for duty
my country needed me
so I answered its call
my uniform was clean and starched
I looked sharp enough to kill
the women loved me
I trained hard to be a good soldier
I wanted to serve my country proudly
I enlisted even longer
my country still needed me
I returned to the war
the war went on for years
my country deserted me
the women who had once loved me
now chanted that I was a murderer
they hated me
some even spit on me
I was not their hero in uniform
my uniform was soiled and torn
my flesh had been baked and broiled
my hearing impaired by explosive blasts
my fingers numbed by a hot barrel and trigger
but my shoulders refused to be recoiled
I was proud to be among those counted
as fighting men who were willing to die
in the name of Freedom
and the American way.....
......even when America had deserted itself
and left me to be counted as one of so many fooled
by politics and money
I still loved her.......
'Forgive them Lord, for they know not what they do.'
2007 © Ted Sheridan
Ted Sheridan
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/old-soldiers-never-die-they-are-just-counted-among-the-dead/
