“Father’s Face” |

MEA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose primary mission is to work with veterans and their families to publish short stories, essays, poems, and artwork in our bi-annual publication, As You Were: The Military Review, periodic editions of Blue Nostalgia: The Journal of Post-Traumatic Growth, and others. Each author or poet who submits work to us is afforded the chance to work one-on-one with a mentor to polish their work or learn new skills and techniques.

Our editors are based all over the country and includes college professors, professional authors, veterans’ advocates, and clinicians.

All editing, consultations, and workshops are free of charge. Veterans and their families pay nothing for our services, and they never will.

Under our Publications tab, there are more than a dozen volumes of creative work crafted by veterans and their family members as well as a virtual art gallery. Our blog posts feature short pieces that cover a wide range of opinion editorials, literary reviews, and profiles on veteran artists and writers.

Please consider spending some time navigating our site and reading and seeing the fine work of veterans and their families from around the globe.

“Father’s Face”

Volume 8 | Spring 2018

by Mark McCreary

Father’s face rough, unshaven, weathered
Never had a thing
And knew even less
In the clear cloud days
In a mill dust filled barn
When stallions wild came sweeping
Descending eagles escaped on feather
From quiet mountain homes
Mother’s back porch mealtime call
Found Father moved and glaring
Thinking about boots spent
The kill remembered
Each was like a bull tamed
Little cowboys lost
Pulling his very will away
Could war
Even years behind
Fell its man
Her soft placed hand
Would end it
For now
Under the hot Dakota sky