Friday, September 16, 2011

POW/MIA Remembrance Day

As today is POW/MIA Remembrance Day, I thought I would share with you a poem I wrote about POWs. I wrote it in November of 1991. I can't really remember what was going on at that moment to bring the words, but I do know I had been reading about POWs since I was in high school and going to the Academy only reinforced that. Out of everything I've written so far, this has remained something I'm most proud of. I used to think about sending it to someone in the POW/MIA remembrance community but didn't know who or where. So I'm sharing it with you now.

Faith and a Prayer (21 Nov 91)

Name, rank and service number –
That’s all I’m going to give.

Please, please, let that be enough –
Just to let us live.

The days drag on –
The months don’t end.

How many years
have we been here, my friend?

The questions have stopped –
Our knowledge is old.

Yet, our cells are still dark –
Our bones are still cold.

A question remains –
Running deep in our hearts.

Why did you leave us –
Did we not do our part?

The years flow by –
There aren’t many left.

Our faces are covered –
In the stillness of death.

Once we believed –
That our country did care.

Now all we have –
Is our faith and a prayer.

Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta gave a good speech today. If you'd like to read it, you can find it here.
____
I'm not sure why the intro paragraph isn't showing up right...sometimes it's there and sometimes it isn't. Usually, it shows up when I click on the title. Anyone have any ideas why it's not always there? Funny thing it, that's what I was trying to do with the "read more" thing but that wasn't working and I haven't had a chance to try and fix it.

2 comments:

  1. I thought I had posted to this before--guess I tried and failed. A touching poem! I can see this in a tribute/salute to POW/MIAs. Admittedly, I have not read any personal accounts but have known a few former POWs during my time in the AF. I don't think we have ever forgotten anyone although I can see how those languishing and disparing in a cell so far away could feel that way.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I guess the idea of "forgotten" kind of depends on your perspective...Thanks for reading and commenting.

    ReplyDelete