No Badge of Courage

I have never been in war
I have never had the desire
to take the life of another human
nor did I ever have this desire
to trod through mountainous
or sand blown desserts
or any hot steamy jungle
dodging bullets and poisonous insects
or snakes like the two step of Vietnam
a snake so named because that
was usually the number of steps
a man could walk before falling
after he had been bitten by one

no I have never had the desire
to carry a 50 lb pack on my back
in sweltering or freezing conditions
pursuing a frightened kid or worse yet
a crazy kid wanting to **** me in
the name of his chosen god

yet, I somehow feel incomplete,
I have had friends who endeared
these conditions, some who never
returned to their friends, families
except in a wooden box

but I feel that I never fulfilled my obligations
in wake of this Veterans day
I once again have this feeling of sadness
this feeling I never put my life on the line
to defend a creed, a purpose, a need
of other peoples who needed help
to fight the indignities of killings
tortures, slavery

to defend them in their reach for
justice, freedom, humanity.

So all I can do I guess is do what
I do every year about this time,
thank these brave men and women
who sacrifice their time, their lives
to help keep this and other nations
safer, humane, with dreams of the future
may whoever your chosen God or belief
protect you from harm today
in the hopes that tomorrow will be better


Gomer LePoet ....