It was a society of class
and expert opinions
that blocked their way to a future
reserved for the powerful and the better
and so they set sail across
the great ocean of the unknown
it was the growling
of a demanding stomach
that drove them into the into the lineup
of all those volunteering for the war
that would give them something to eat
and even more to die for
we like to think that we are smarter than they were
but could we lift the weight of the lives they lived
it was all those dirty hands of the common men
and women
that worked themselves into the ground
to plant a seed of hope
for all those
who would follow them
today we stand in a forest of black shadows
cast by those who have gone before
we have forgotten the dry years of their lives
and the tears
that were the only reward for their struggle
we barely remember the price that they paid for freedom
still we aren’t afraid to question
the wisdom of all the things that they have done
***
An interview I did about a local veteran.
Kelvin Bueckert 