Turning Point

Oh! If I could but free you
From drowning at desolation's door
That has impaled your lonely heart
From reaching a joyful peaceful shore

It would be a divine journey
For my humanity to tell
Of heroes who vanquished tyrants
To release your soul from hell

You are haunted by the ghosts
Of this veterans field in Vietnam
Where brave truths became the host
Of the death and dying of the young

With brothers you shared this journey
In the way that brothers do
Brothers fell with the thuds of casualty 
While their blood ran red around you

In a single moment
Of bayonets and bullets
Your soul was pierced with the torment
Of terror and regret

You were a part of a limited few that led
To face "glories" price to pay
Behold the twelve and hundred
That were slain upon the field that day

You were never to escape the horror
of that paralyzing plan
You were to fight and die for
The fields of peace to stand

A peace which lost its meaning
To those who with you served
And were left by forces streaming
On this blood-red cursed turf

Now as your life embraced its rage
Entombed by fear it stripped
Your love which lay frozen in its cage
Your heart locked in its crypt

The dark side of you will haunt me
I saw your universal truth
That evil put his foot upon your doorstep
And will never let you loose!
Copyright © | Year Posted 2019

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Book: Diverse Voices: The Poetry of Human Rights and the Pursuit of Peace