Semper Fi

a poem about my Vietnam vet brothers who have lost themselves on this side of the ocean

Semper Fi

I am sad for you, my brother, sad...
because Vietnam has snared you like a spider
and now you are an old bug
wrapped tightly in a web of memory
Both victim and predator
you have hollowed out your own life
leaving us an empty tattooed shell

You are so sad, my brother, sad...
because you did not die on the killing fields
but lived to watch your brothers murder themselves
with nightmares and bad drugs
No one celebrated your return
no glorious photos of flags on nameless hills
and the slender shred of honor you have left
stretches tautly across uncaring decades like an old scar

Your life is sad, my brother, sad...
because you still clutch your worn-out hatreds to you
like they were medals
and no one in this changed world
will share them with you
So you stand, a bottle in your hand
shouting at the other drunks
“Semper Fi!” like an angry benediction

It is so sad, my brother, sad...
because you have been always faithful unto death
and let life pass you by
Semper fi, my brother
semper fi