Skip to content
Military Experience & the Arts
Menu
  • About Us
    • Who We Are
    • Staff
    • Friends
    • Contact Us
  • Publications
    • As You Were
      • Volume 23
      • Volume 22
      • Volume 21
      • Volume 20
      • Volume 19
      • Volume 18
      • Volume 17
      • Volume 16
      • Volume 15
      • Volume 14
      • Volume 13
      • Volume 12
      • Volume 11
      • Volume 10
      • Volume 9
      • Volume 8
      • Volume 7
      • Volume 6
      • Volume 5
      • Volume 4
      • Volume 3
      • Volume 2
      • Volume 1
    • Blue Nostalgia
      • Volume 4
      • Volume 3
      • Volume 2
      • Volume 1
    • Blue Falcon Review
      • Volume 2
      • Volume 1
    • Blue Streak
      • Volume 2
      • Volume 1
    • The Journal of Military Experience
      • Volume 3
      • Volume 2
      • Volume 1
    • Virtual Art Gallery
    • Copyright and Privacy
  • Submissions
  • Ways to Help
    • Writing and Art Resources
    • MEA’s Guide to Short Fiction and Nonfiction
Menu

“Afghanistan”

by Daniel W. Ross

(“Afghanistan” mobile version)

One gains no traction in a game with no rules,
Forsaken efforts hexing a forlorn few;
The other side of the mountain proved us fools.

Generations drowned by politics’ drool,
Fade to obscurity’s ephemeral hue;
One gains no traction in a game with no rules,

Yet, warriors possessed victorious tools
Action unraveled by strategy they drew;
The other side of the mountain proved us fools.

Lions left to fundamentalist cesspools,
The ignominy remains ours ’cause we knew,
One gains no traction in a game with no rules.

And this history will be lost to our schools,
While years of trauma and suffering accrue;
The other side of the mountain proved us fools.

Thus, return to the ouroboros of ghouls,
Our never-ending mistakes once again new:
One gains no traction in a game with no rules,
The other side of the mountain proved us fools.

–

–

–


Dr. Daniel W. Ross grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, where he developed a love for poetry and creative writing at Gilman School and Goucher College. He finds inspiration from his travels across the globe and has visited or worked in many ambiguous, high-stress, and complex environments in over 40 countries. Dr. Ross enjoys time with his wife and two daughters; he also enjoys mountaineering, rock climbing, hiking, and everything about the outdoors.

–

–

–

Who We Are

Military Experience and the Arts, Inc. 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 biannual publication, As You Were: The Military Review, periodic editions of Blue Nostalgia: The Journal of Post-Traumatic Growth and others. To the best of our ability, we pair each author or poet that submits work to us with a mentor to work one-on-one to polish their work or learn new skills and techniques.

Our staff is based all over the country and includes college professors, professional authors, veterans’ advocates, and clinicians. As such, most of our services are provided through email and online writing workshops.

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 two 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.

Subscribe to Announcements via Email

Enter your email to receive notifications of any announcements

Subscribe to announcements via Email

Enter your email to receive notifications of any announcements

© 2026 Military Experience & the Arts | Powered by Minimalist Blog WordPress Theme