Drums roll,
The slow mournful rhythm of taps
Echoes off the walls of remote barracks,
Planted like weeds,
In places with unpronounceable names.
Another soldier fallen,
Someone’s mother, father, wife, husband
Cries for them alone.
Nothing but a ticker at the bottom of our screens,
A caption on the back page of our daily,
All that reminds us of their sacrifice.
This barracks stands emptier for the loss,
It’s life, slowly being extinguished
With the silencing of each voice.
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Jem Farmer the Boi Poet – Words at the Weekend 24-25 August 2013 prompt
Dom DiFrancesco 
So sad.
May the souls of the fallen soldiers rest in peace.
I agree 100%, I try to remember them everyday.
Mark this as one of your beat !
Thank you very much, I truly appreciate that my friend.
*best*
Thank you, this means so much to me.
I believe Taps is one of the most emotional pieces of music ever written. Very sad and beautiful and loving. A loving tribute. A loving poem. ;)
Thank you so much Kimberly, it is one of the most emotional pieces of music I have ever heard.
It breaks my heart to think of the daily losses, and so far away from home.
Me too, I’m just glad my son made it back in one piece, except what we think is some PTSD.
Ah – I am so sorry to hear that. :( Hopefully he can find the right help and can heal quickly.
Thank you Jen, he doesn’t ever talk about what happened in Afghanistan, all I know is he was shot at more than once. Sometimes I think physical wounds aren’t always the worst ones, its the ones you can’t see that can cause the most damage. Maybe when he gets out of the Army in March, he will let his mother and I help him.
I certainly hope so. It must be a horrible helpless feeling. I’ll say a prayer for emotional and mental healing – as well as guidance.
Thank you Jen, I really appreciate you doing that, it means a lot to me.
:D
Hang in there, okay?
I will, thank you my friend. :)
Deeply moving Dom, a beautiful tribute
Thank you very much Jem, this is a subject that is very personal to me. :)
That really shows in your words :)
Thank you Jem. :)
True indeed, and very sad to think that soldiers of all the US forces remain nothing more than cannon fodder, a mere blip, a loss of life whilst folk spoon their sugar-laden cereal and flip the page.
Great observation, but far too many people shake their head at such a loss and move on, without really thinking about the US military juggernaut, a hideous machine that threatens all mankind.
“Hell, what’s one soldier’s life, when we are fighting the enemy.” What enemy? All make-believe, old white generals playing war in sandboxes; unfeeling monsters who don’t care in the least when some poor grunt bites the dust.
Thank you for your haunting poem.
Take care,
Paul
Paul, thank you very much for your thoughtful comment. You are absolutely correct, people pay little attention to the fallen unless they knew them personally, until then they are nothing but a blip. Your observation about “old white generals play war in sandboxes” is spot on as well, to them, the fallen grunt is nothing but a number in their grand play, a play with real people and real lives. I certainly wish it were different, but sadly it isn’t and probably never will be, at least not while we exist as a nation. Thank you again my friend.