Veterans of wars
unjust or just
Equally deserve consideration,
Their anger, hatred, fear, and livid lust
Equally in service to their nation.
Remember that the battlefield remains
A place where murder is one's daily duty.
Nor can one be so brutal without stains
Seeping into one's one well of beauty.
Do, then, pay them homage due, for they
Are heroes, though their bitter battles may
Yield peace or conquest, joy or simply pain.
Copyright by Nicholas Gordon. Free for personal or non-commercial use.
Audio and Video Music: Lacrima D'esperide. By Damiano Baldoni. Performed by Damiano Baldoni at the
Free Music Archive under an Attribution license.