Veterans Day Part 3: Three Names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial



Sprayed ground meat: the only remains
from them, -- outside my memories.
Together: we laughed and cried and boasted
about future dreams with beautiful wives, and
children.

Never again.


Red and Green Mosaic: the jungle leaves with their splattered blood
flowed from my mourning tears; I knew:
None will ever drink a beer,
nor own a house,
nor meet his future wife,
or hold their babies to nurture
through little league
through wellness and sickness
to attend prom and college
and make grandchildren.


Never again.


(My buddies only wanted to give those war-torn children candies
-- knowing future Dads should practice loving kids,
Unknowing, --that here: Children were often wired as bombs to explode.)

Never


will they have a birthday,
or reach the age of twenty
or vote,             -- for the first time.

Never again.
                                                               I still cry...
by
James A. Porter

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Republican Party and Christian Values

Image
Dear Republicans, or “God-Fearing, church-going, law abiding, moral and ethical citizens, who diligently practice your faiths by living in accordance with the word of God,” have you read Matthews chapter 5 – lately? It would be helpful if you reflect on verse 7 ( Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.), verse 8 ( Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.), and verse 9 (Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.) Instead of aggressively trying to prosecute Secretary of State Hilary Clinton for emails she erased from her personal server, it will be helpful if you recall that the last Republican President (George W.) and his secretary of state were so fast asleep at the wheel that 9/11 occurred on American soil while they were snoring. Note: The Democrats or “the secular party” showed mercy while acting as peacemakers in the months and years that followed. In spite of the fact that during that time period George W. started a war in...
Read more

An Endangered Nation

Image
          I love quality debates. I love debates in which two debaters, with opposite points of views, present their arguments – each clearly and concisely articulating interesting, informative, persuasive ideas, supported by cited respected research. Oh, I love the feelings of sitting and listening to the first debater, in a cool, calm, coherent manner convincing me that his side of the argument is correct. “This is good stuff!” I find myself thinking, as his presentation sways my thoughts in his favor. I am convinced that he's going to win! His argument is so good that I cannot envision him loosing the debate.      Of course, my opinion changes a few minutes later, as I sit and listen to the second debater delivering the opposing argument. His delivery, which is as thorough, thoughtful, interesting, and persuasive as the first debater’s, pulls my thinking in the opposite direction....
Read more

One "Christian Nation" Under God?

Image
  I am always amazed by the fact that although we call ourselves  “a Christian Nation”  and we boast about the fact that we have more churches in the United States than any other country in the world, the teachings of  God , the Father, and His Son,  Christ Jesus , play minor roles in the integrity and spiritual correctness of our moral decisions. For example, it does not appear that we ask ourselves questions like  “What grade would Jesus, who knows what’s honestly is in our hearts, give us for the policy decisions we’ve just made?”  " How would God feel about the Republican Party's intentional attempt to create a health care policy that is going to result in pain, suffering, and death for millions of Americas?"    “Are our policy decisions concerning entitlements, tax cuts, voter ID laws, immigration . . . in accordance with His teachings?”  “Are we conducting ourselves in compliance with the example He modeled on Earth?"  "Ar...
Read more