"Peace With Dishonor"

Selfish men and women ... unmindful of souls in their trust.

Feeding upon lustful power ... as a vulture devours flesh.

Grease pencils and stick pins ... taking the place of soldiers.

At Pentagon meetings and parties ... gargantuan egos roamed.

Seeking to etch their marks ... in tomorrow's history books.

In distant rice paddies ... blood permeated the waters.

Cries from steamy jungles ... muffled by narcissistic desire.

Arrogant men making choices ... for combatants in faraway lands.

Men ruling over their peers ... having never tasted of war.

Feeding their quest for power ... as the coffins made their journeys.

"Peace with Honor" ? ... Such a premeditated facade.

Falsehoods belched from deep ... camouflaging heroic deeds.

Kennedy, Johnson and McNamara ... all with egocentric goals.

Nixon, Kissinger and others ... adding to the abomination.

Manipulating a nations youth ... from high upon their pedestals.

Daily pleas from distant soil ... Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia.

Reaching towards the heavens ... daily, monthly and yearly.

Sons of Mothers and Fathers ... gasping for their last breath.

Unknown to the feelings of many ... hushed by the opposition.

Flag draped caskets awaited  ... the digging of the tombs.

Situations began to change ... so McNamara and Johnson quit.

Corruption shared no boundaries ... pervading amidst the ranks.

Perpetuated by the dollar ... greed obeyed the ravenous demon.

Oil companies and arms suppliers ... all grazing at the feast.

While young men lay dying ... the banquet table was set.

The political chess match continued ... from one decade to another.

Twenty seven million were eligible ... a mere nine million served.

A nation internally wounded ... smiting it's own warriors.

Divided to the very core ... infiltrated with selfish desire.

Searching for a scapegoat ... they turned to the faithful soldier.

It came down to a peace table ... arguments abounded daily.

Guided by unrighteous acts ... causing entire families to grieve,

Thousands of soldiers captured ... succumbing to the torture.

While dapper men gathered ...  to fret over frivolous matters.

Captives rotting in their feces ... trying to survive from day to day.

"Peace with Honor" ? ... Shallow words from a recent past.

Spewing from a criminal ... prior to resigning in disgrace.

His friends and cohorts ... cloaked in a shroud of secrecy.

Hands tainted with blood ... as they signed the peace accords.

Abandoning valiant soldiers ... shackled in a distant land.

Years of lies and debauchery ... permeating deep within the ranks.

Covering those deeds of the past ... under the guise of security.

Consciences seared with deceit ... hiding their master's secrets.

Treasonous acts continue to follow ... those decisions made years ago.

Callously ignoring the dignity ... of those warriors left behind.

Judgment Day lies on the horizon ... from it there shall be no escape.

It hides there in the shadows ... as a Lion stalks his prey.

Injustice, pride and rebellion ... he thrives upon their flavor.

A profound peal of thunder ... will mark that fateful day.

The guilty standing naked together ... before our Almighty God.

Michael A. Harris  -  27 July 1994