Only Soldiers - For Contest
Only Soldiers
They are thanked for their service
by those who never served.
Commended for their bravery
by those who never donned
the colors of the country
the red, the white, the blue.
They are left alone with demons
that only they can name
seek the silent comfort
of those who know the same,
they limp alone in honor
of the men they used to be
slowly turn invisible to
the people they keep free.
In silent nod and gesture
they salute in passing pain
bathed in thanks for service,
awash in tearless rain,
not heroes, only soldiers,
in the shadows without name.
11/10/2013
submitted to – Being Invisible – poetry contest
sponsor – SKAT A
Copyright © John Lawless | Year Posted 2016
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