Us Army Er Nurse
US ARMY, ER NURSE
They are not the “War Fighter Soldiers”
yet they have seen more blood than most.
They wear the gladiator garb, stand tall
at taps in stiff salute to flag at end of day.
They hear the screams of war’s demands,
exacted without prejudice, see only war’s
true colors in the drying shades of red.
They see the mother’s faces as they speak
unknowing words, treat the wounds of
innocence incased in harsher world.
They are a soldier’s last defense against
war’s final tally, the nurses that will
care for them, become their final ally.
They suffer from the pangs of war,
its loneliness and fear. Return to us
with hardened hearts that could no
longer bear the sights and sounds
of war’s contemptuous disdain.
They carry wounds that can’t be seen,
save for their tortured faces,
hide their memories, and pain,
in duties failed embraces.
John G. Lawless
7/30/2014
For Carol Eastman
Unsung Hero Contest
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