Poetry Written By and For Veterans
Poetry Written By and For Veterans
By
Michael "Mac" McBride
Touch Me
You came to see me last night
I' ve been expecting you
The Tiger stripes you wore
blended in with the shadows
taking you back somewhere
as you came closer to me
It didn't take you long
to find the names
five friends grouped close together
I felt you knew
it should have been six
I called to you silently
Touch me
You stood there not moving
Touch me
I see you hesitate
Touch me
Your hand and I become one
distress and sense of guilt
I draw from you
and absorb into myself
you now know why I am here
As you walk away
you turn once to look at me
no need to worry
I'll be here
If you need me again
Why are you going back ?
you made it through your year
haven't you had enough of that?
the sweat , the blood ,the fear
Why are you going back ?
you might get hurt again
it's hard for me to comprehend
you're doing it for your friends
Why are you going back ?
you say you can't compare
the love and trust
between you guys
is found no where but there
Why are you going back ?
I think I understand
and if I wasn't so old my son
I would go along
and lend a hand
Mac
I went to the Wall today just to be with all of you. Tony , Allen , Fox , Bobby , the LT. , Alvin and Chico, and to feel again the love we had for each other so long ago.
Forgive me for not coming sooner , but deep in my heart I was fighting battles with my mind and my war has been longer than the one we fought together.
I looked at that black wall and reached out to touch one of your names expecting the stone to be cold , but it was warm , I looked up at the sun , but realized I was looking the wrong way , the warmth was coming from your hearts.
I stayed for a long time searching for each one of you among so many names. As I found you , it became harder and harder to stem my flow of tears , until finally it became a flood , flowing over my whole soul, cleansing and cleaning and bringing a peace within me I have never felt before , but have searched for so long.
I knew now it was time to walk away , taking a part of each of you with me , leaving a part of myself with you , and as I turned to go , something within me called to look for one more name. Not understanding why---------
I looked for my own.
Mac
How far we have walked
no one can tell
I thought that the fighting
was what they called hell
Now that the truth
has entered my mind
and the salt from my sweat
is making me blind
I've got to keep going
one step at a time
Bent over double
from the weight that I bear
O how I wish
for a touch of cool air
I think and I wonder
how did I get in this bind
I've got to keep going
one step at a time
For somewhere soon
maybe just up ahead
we will stop for the night
the ground for a bed
I know I can make it
if I just take my time
I've got to keep going
one step at a time
Mac
Things you take for granted
take us back
The beat of a helicopter's rotor
make us search the sky
for the ride home
Exhaust fumes flow into our nostrils
from trucks and busses
we see only tanks in our minds
Leaves rotting in the fall
push our heads into the jungle floor
A K rounds inches above us
A car backfires
and we duck
always looking for the source
The 4th of July
is our worse day
I don't think I need to explain
Seeing our breath
on cool days
takes us back to the highlands
You run when it rains
rain to us is a joy now
we no longer stay wet forever
A women's perfume
brings back the pain
of letters that stopped coming
Any kind of blood
makes us see our friends
for they shed so much
The love you have
inside you for me
reminds me that I'm back
Mac
Will you still love me
when I return from Vietnam
now that I only have
half a hand
Will you still love me
when kids stop and stare
at the scars on my face
that once was so fair
Will you still love me
for now I cannot dance
In place of legs
there's just folded up pants
Will you still love me
now that you can see
I have no arms to hold you
to touch you and to tease
Will you still love me
now that I am gone
and keep a place
within your heart for me
through night into the dawn
Will you still love me ?
Mac
From the window
we saw the soldier
paper in hand
approaching our door
Your Mom and I knew
before he told us
you were dead
killed in action
I cried son
something I never
let you see me do
I loved you
While embraced in
your Mothers arms
the soldier told us
how brave you had been
How you pulled
four wounded friends
to safety
and was wounded yourself
The soldier told us
you stood by those friends
fighting off the attack
all through the night
How you ran out of
ammunition near dawn
and then used a shovel
as a weapon
They found you
that morning
your friends were alive
but you were dead
What made you stand firm
that night son
why didn't you run
and save yourself
I found the answer
in the Bible
the one the soldier said
you always carried
John fifteen
the thirteenth verse
you had underlined
in deep blue
Greater Love
has no one than this----
that one lay down his life
for his friends
Mac
Somehow
the pain
will go away
Somehow
it will pass
someway
Somehow
the guilt
will end
Somehow
you'll help me
my friend
Somehow
I found it
today
Somehow
you were there
in a way
Somehow
the "Wall"
called to me
Somehow
I'm finally
free
Mac
Table of Contents
Poetry, Page One
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Poetry, Page Two
Poetry, Page Three
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Poetry, Page Four
Poetry, Page Five
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Poetry, Page Six
Poetry, Page Seven
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Poetry, Page Eight
Poetry, Page Nine
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Poetry, Page Ten
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