Wars in My Lifetime

Judges 4:1-7

World War II

a boy-soldier lies
with his face
on the continent of Europe
and his feet
in the Atlantic

Korea

when we died,
they said casualties were low;
they gave us medals
and thanked us
for our service

Vietnam

I am an American fighting man
no visible foe
no battle lines
no inner hate
no reason why

Desert Storm

no longer
forward-leaning warfighters,
the wounded
are deleted
from the present tense

Iraq

Iraq War,
my, how you have grown…
look at you:
such a big boy
and so strong!

Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, Year A
November 19, 2023