Sirs, my hands are aloft in greetings
I salute you
My legs are together in attention
I hail you
My hat is off my head
I revere you
I thank you with the two greatest things I have:
My heart and my soul
Like the aggressor who lacked the edge to wear you down,
I lack the words to say thank you.
My heart and soul which you have touched so dearly
Do so for me.
I saw a one way ticket
A trolley full of lauggage
Checking in an apartment, not a hotel
This visitor is here to stay
I saw a sale agreement
Not a stay receipt
I saw a full smile
Not a half-wit grin
Embraced with both hands
A bed in well made
I see no plan for departure
This visitor looks quite settled
AI is here to stay
AI is here for good
To live side by side with our knowledge
Always willing to help.
NOVEMBER 2022
Rightly so, the poppies flood
Early in the winter sky
Merrily stood in field, and this
Existence of mine has passed by
Maybe they'd watch us contend
But are authorities ever sober?
Early now, in Winter's sky
Realise how they owed her
Unwillingly ignorant to the loss, they'll be
Scorching their retinas, a veil of red
whistles blare
gun powder in the air
lead pours overhead
I can't wait to feel my bed
I line up my rifle
breathe and squeeze
my orders are to strife
I run empty so I freeze
the quit nights are haunted
this conflict was unwanted
one more tally added; I can't mask it
make sure they spell it right on my casket
Please tell me it’s not true
In supporting the Red white and blue
That not a lot of women are Honorable
And barely any women are notable
So to the far few and in between
I hope your life will shine and glean
Where we may not be many, but just a few
Who go combat hatred people spew
For being fearless in the service we gave
We deserve to be saved
Let us stand out among most women that we see
Filling our hearts with hope and Glee
Let our male counterparts be are equal
Allowing more women to serve in our sequel
Let no woman be full of fear
Where danger lurks and may be near
As our flags colors are tightly woven
Let us recognize the service member who is a woman
Duty calls from valleys deep and wide,
Wide like hearts where brave resolve does bide.
Bide the storms, through fire and endless rain,
Rain of trials met with a calm refrain.
Refrain from fear when darkness clouds the sky,
Sky holds hope where eagles dare to fly.
Fly with honor carved in steel and soul,
Soul forged firm in sacrifice and role.
Role of country’s shield in battle’s fire,
Fire of freedom fed by hearts’ desire.
Desire to serve with valor, strong and true,
True to flags in red and white and blue.
Blue, the banner waving high above,
Above all stands their country, duty, and love.
© Dr. Joseph S. Spence, Sr., USA (Epulaeryu Master). All Rights Reserved (May 25, 2025).
They do not march now,
but they still stand--
shoulder to shoulder
in quiet granite lines.
Each flag breathes
like a memory fluttering
in the hush between heartbeats.
They are not just names,
not just dates--
they are echoes of last letters,
mud-heavy boots,
songs sung beneath a foreign sky.
We walk between them,
heads bowed,
and feel the weight of freedom
we never had to earn.
This silence is not empty.
It is full--
with sacrifice,
with honor,
with a debt
we can only repay in remembrance.
The Stars and the Stripes,
Is the blood that we shed.
I pledge allegiance to the flag,
Running through my head.
The Home of the Brave,
And the land of the free.
Soldiers died to give their life,
For you, and for me.
The Stars and the Stripes,
Is the blood that we shed.
I’m proud to be an American,
Running through my head.
The Home of the Brave,
And the land of the free.
God Bless our USA,
For you, and for me.
Beautiful O Beautiful,
Are the Stars and the Stripes.
Scream it loud for all to hear.
Fight, Fight, Fight.
Respire
Make of me a banished son
To walk this world alone
With heavy heart and heavy load
The boulder and the stone
Make of me a loyal friend
A soldier at your side
To be there when it matters most
A brother all your life
Make of me a mighty sword
An instrument of death
I was me but now he's gone
And this is what is left
Make of me a rising son
A vindicated soul
That I may be forgiven
And find my way back home
Shattered Limb
broken tree limbs
lie shattered on the ground
no longer useful
the one-armed veteran
looks on with understanding
Tomb of the Unknown
Twenty-one steps south down the black mat
Turns and faces east toward the tomb for twenty-one seconds
Turns and faces north, changes gun to outside shoulder and waits twenty-one seconds
Marches twenty-one steps up the mat
Turns and faces east for twenty-one seconds
Turns and faces south, changes gun to outside shoulder and waits twenty-one seconds
Twenty-one steps south down the black mat
The cycle is repeated
Three hundred and sixty-five days a year
Twenty-four hours a day
White gloved hands snap through the shoulder arms
Sharp green uniforms show no rank
Dark sunglasses hide the solemn stare of the guard
Select members of The Old Breed maintain vigilance
Over the marble tomb
The crowd must be silent
All must show respect
To those who are unknown
To the faceless and nameless
Who sacrifice all
Deus Volt I scream by my brother's side,
a distinct bell rings measuring 39mm wide,
high stepping over the deconstructed rubble,
klashnikov volley is what's giving us trouble,
our advancement through the city begins to slow,
primary and secondary left with one mag to go, (clink)
armor so tight it impedes the breathing, (clank)
honor steps in like a sword unsheathing, (clink)
clinking of a grenades stops under my chest,
my brothers have been saved you know the rest.
Thank you for your faith
in the country you so love
that you’d offer up your life
in a cataclysmic strife.
Thank you for your courage,
although you shook inside.
You did all that was required,
no matter what the price.
The noise of guns and mortar
convulsed the fetid air.
You saw beloved comrades
lie bleeding at your side.
You suffered pain and conflict
when you had to kill another,
against what you’d been taught,
to love, not hate, your brother.
We call you strong and brave
and admire your fortitude,
but the toll that it has taken
is in your mind and soul.
To kill for love of country
and the freedoms we possess
takes strength we can’t imagine,
and thanks are not enough!
It’s been too long since you went away.
Now nights are long, and days are gray.
Tears too frequent and embraces missed,
The sound of your voice and your tender kiss.
Your empty seat at the dinner table
Leaves us unbalanced, and life unstable.
When you are gone, all is diminished
The workload is hard and much unfinished.
But oh, how the joy and gratitude flows
When you come into sight and my heart explodes!
I discover how great and surpassing our love
When I see you again, we are hand in glove.
Every time you return, the house is reborn
The family is whole and there’s no place to mourn.
There is no replacement, no other can take
The place that you hold and the difference you make.
All I ask is: "Come home your place is here."
Stay with us forever and keep us near.
We value your sacrifice, service and more
Just be sure to come home and darken our door.
The years drift by,
soft as leaves on the bushes and the trees.
Yet still your courage stirs within the land,
For in your heart, where your fierce resolve was pinned,
You left the peace we hold within our hands.
With strength that bore the burden none could see,
You braved the darkest night's and coldest rain,
And now your memory stands, a quiet plea.
To honor those who walked that path of pain.
So, let our thanks fall humbly at your feet,
In silence kept, where your sacrifice runs deep.
Specific Types of Veterans Day Poems
Definition | What is Veterans Day in Poetry?