I wrote this poem for the veterans of the 1983 Beirut,Lebanon bombing of which my husband Steven Ayers was involved. He was on the search and rescue team off the USS Portland LSD-37.
Beirut nineteen eighty three,
a blast was heard across the sea,
two hundred forty one were lost,
and now the vets are left to plea.
They can’t just die and let it go,
their souls need to be free,
but they stand by and wait for us,
atonement they must see.
The bombing was so long ago,
why even bother now?
We hear these words without remorse,
why can’t they show they’re proud?
For the men that lost their lives that day,
and the vets who’s nightmares reign,
they deserve some peace of mind you know,
as they bare their burden chains.
Can you see them in the distance,
the souls of those who’ve died,
they’re waiting for some justice,
they watched as family cried.
No more will we forget the past,
they need us to be strong,
the secrets need to be revealed,
they’ve waited for so long.
Won’t you stand up and help us fight
for all these men have done?
Won’t you step up for what’s right to do,
would you do it for your son?
Can you stand up for all who served ,
we need your help today,
Can you step up and fight for them,
you know it’s the right way.
Can you hear them in the distance,
the souls of those who’ve died,
they’re screaming for some justice,
for their brothers who have died.
No more will we forget the past,
they need us to be strong,
the secrets need to be revealed,
they’ve waited for so long.
Mushroom Cloud, a fact-based historical novel, is the first book of The First Strike Trilogy: USA and the Soviet Union are building nuclear arms for a face off in a potential nuclear war in the late 1950's and early 1960's.