~ Vietnam Legacy ~

A wall of granite tells a tale

of heroes who never returned

their names, engraved one by one

and the ranks they earned

The families all come

touching with trembling hands

the names they loved so well

While their buddies only remember

their months of a living hell

Sadly all these memories

become nightmares they can’t shake

Reliving all the horrors

is more than they can take

They went to war as children

not schooled in killing then

and some came home to loved ones

as hardened and broken men

They were no parades or speeches

no laureate creating poems

there were no dignitaries greeting them

as they came marching home

Now, many years have come and gone

for many, their lives destroyed

Minds stuck in a time warp

where some drink to fill the void

To all the valiant young

who lived the horror somehow

they deserve more than our

respect and compassion now

© 2006

Carole Mathys