Names on War Memorials
Billy got a gun,
When he turned 18
Did two tours in Iraq
And got a purple heart for free
When he arrived home
The Mayor gave him a key
And said 'how proud' he was
'For serving God and country'
But Billy was an egg
With a brain now slightly fried
Watching marching bands
And the Batons on the lines
Searching for the danger
In the Cadillac landmines
The sparkles made him dread
All the fireworks of July
When Billy arrived home
He nodded with cheap grins
Said 'How nice it's to be back'
Among his fellow country kin
His sweetheart gave him kisses
To show how much she missed him
But found him slightly cold
And emotionally distant
Billy stood outside
While everyone soirees
With cups of alcohol
To hip hop damaged muzak
They could not see the man
Returned from desert storms
But his mother sensed the lost
That her little boy was gone
Now Billie's in the garage
Looking pale and rather frail
Because the wars now in his head
And the faces have him jailed
From the orphans to the elders
As they whimpered on the stone
Too the occupier soldiers
[...] Read more
poem by Kevin Patrick
Added by Poetry Lover
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