He Was Only 19

I visited alone a grave today,
He was but 19 when he went away.

So full of promise, of hope, and of life,
he went away to a land torn with struggle and strife.

The battle there was not one of his choosing,
he volunteered to serve,
With no thought of us losing.

He laid down his life, in a land far away,
to keep communism from spreading, or so did they say.

See, some sought out money,
political power, or thrill,
but at the end of the struggle, 58,000 lay still.

And now the country he served with such passion and pride,
moves ever so subtly, to his enemy's side.

They now say free speech is a thing of the past,
you'll say what we tell you,
or agree with at last.

And don't have a book that offends even these,
Whose lives are a showcase of shameful bad sleaze.

So how did the country for which he suffered and bled,
move so far left that it's sick in the head?

For whoa unto them who trade goodness for evil,
the earth will soon tremble from the coming upheaval.

The government inside the beltway continues the course,
to bring down decency, and to rule with great force.

We've somehow forgotten, beneath the church steeple,
That sin is reproach, to any and all people.

When we've reached the place
that the blood of our children,
is just but a token to rake in a million.

He was only 19 when he went away,
His name's on that wall,
but his blood speaks today.

Remember the fallen, for they gave up so much,
to serve in a cause that they thought would not touch.

Their lives were thus ended, the money changers live on,
to seek out a new place to carry war on.

Remember this poem when you lay down your head,
and consider your ballot may bring many more dead.

Yes, he was only 19 when he went away.

- inspired by my visit to the grave of a man who died much too soon in Vietnam, Jan. 10, 1968. Written Memorial Day evening, May 29, 2023.