The Predicament

To Be Ben Franklin Social Justice

To Be David Young American HeArtMosphere

To Be the Butterfly Writer

But I have no credentials

No awards to show - I am qualified

Quandary of a Vietnam War Veteran

To Be a Napkin Writer

To Be a Veteran writing down feelings

To Be a Vet within my home sweet home

God Bless America, such anguish

That writing poetry in America

Inside my Veteran fought Rights

Would Be grounds for Termination

That a WWII German Corporation

Could demand silence of napkins

Those scrapes of scraps of paper

A Vet used to heal the demon inside

From building up in self-destruction

Yet, I have Vietnam Commendation Medal

And a Good Conduct Award

And a Honorable Discharge form

But in America - Corporations reign

Could be some politician objected.

A bone spur decided to make an example

No matter Mercedes had the Right

I do not contest that employment issue

But not the Corp Right to use Poetry,

Nor could they ban verse in off hours

Or against me as reason of Termination.

They put Scarlet Letters upon an American Veteran

I have asked that they say, “I was Terminated.”

Alas, I am David tough and they are Goliath powerful

They refuse, to meet, saying it was not about Poetry

Upon a BIBLE this Vietnam War Veteran will attest

That HR smiled a smirk in my face saying Poetry termination.

We could meet shake hands in Termination agreement

Both sides walking away in poetic Veteran stature

But Germans tend to be French with British upper CAST lips

And I will say it, again and again, I was Terminated for Poetry

Until a handshake from Mercedes Benz mends a Vets wound.

Hell, I will buy a ticket to Germany, to get this off my back.

I can only pray that No America Wars Veterans will be denied

The Veteran won right to their home sweet home rhyme

Therein lays this American Veteran consternation of TO BE

Of What?

A Butterfly Writer

A Poet

An American

A Ben Franklin symbol

A Vietnam War Veterans writing on napkins

Only thing I know I am

Is an American Vietnam War Veteran

Who served in the Vietnam Theater

Oh the Predicament of what TO BE

Inside an American Veterans

Home Sweet Home