Ms Doris Green

(Prescott, AZ)

 A MAN CRIES OUT

You walk into camp,
—A man cries out—
And then, then you’re a soldier.
You train to be that soldier.
—A man cries out—
The you learn and specialize in things
That as a child you thought as playing.
These things are strange to your senses,
yet you specialize.
Then one day you leave the place of wonder and relaxation
To board a Man-of-War that tosses and turns
Even in her sleep.
—A man cries out—

You fall into rank and march off the Man-of-War
Your feet touch a blood stained earth and say:
“Turn back! Oh, turn back! Go home!”
—A man cries out—
You fall into rank. You march.
A field, a jungle, a village, a flash appears
—A man cries out—
You duck and sway like a tree, a sting, an explosion,
A warmth, a hurt, you fall!
—A man cries out
The earth, it spins
—A man cries out—
A solder falls in rank
—A man cries out—
And is no more. And he truly is a soldier.



Anon Vietnam Vet