"Together" -Veterans' Day Poem

"Together"

Veterans of

Wars of the past

Wars of the present

Wars of the future are

Heroes

Then and now 

And

Family members

Beloved by all

Respected by all

The sacrifices made

Missing chunks

Of lives

Of flesh

Or even of souls.

Those left behind

Often work 

as hard as the soldiers.

Even those who stay left behind

Leave poppies for Papa

And always remember

The good parts

The bad parts

The happy parts

The sad parts

All the parts.

Funny, veterans kind of represent the U.S. in more than name, don't they?

They have parts (families, emotions)

That are best together

And together when apart.

Even when "apart" eventually means literally worlds away,

All veterans (active or not)

Are together

With someone.

Even if only he or she knows

There's always someone.

There always will be someone

Even if they haven't been found yet.

That someone guides them,

The veterans, representing the U.S.

In so much more than name,

Through the war or whatever else there is.