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Rated: ASR · Poetry · Military · #1982074
To those who serve, I swear this oath: I will be your voice. (Honoring Our Veterans Entry)
Perspective


I've spent a lifetime, so it seems,
in service to this land.
I've held, within my heart, the dreams
that freedom can command.

I honor those who serve today.
I understand the cost.
The price of service that they pay,
the moments that are lost.

So too, the wives who pay a fee,
who keep the family
together through uncertainty,
waiting patiently.

In ages past, when I was young
it all made much more sense.
The warrior's song I gladly sung
in liberty's defense.

Time has parted youth's thin veil;
I see more clearly now.
The larger picture has detail
I overlooked, somehow.

The value of a single life
now overwhelms, I find,
when wasted on some far-flung strife
not valued in my mind.

I'm leery now of leadership
and question motivation.
Their answers seem more like a quip
without any foundation.

I find it hard to understand,
in the name of peace,
how killing in some foreign land
will make the violence cease.

To those who serve, this oath I swear -
I will be your voice.
To those who lead, my fervent prayer
is wisdom in your choice.



An entry for March Round of "HONORING OUR VETERANS

Thank you for taking time to read my words. I would appreciate it if you took a moment and left a comment. Your reaction, impressions, criticisms, - yes, even praise *Smile* - are all equally welcome.
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