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“The Battle”

by Stephanie A. Inman

_

–

Grim silence flows through a firelit camp,
Broken only by the harsh scrape of a
Sword being sharpened
Many will die tomorrow in a clash of
Swords, Armor and Horses

Grim silence flows through a darkened camp
The battleground a damp jungle
In place of a scorched desert
Many will die tomorrow in a
Resounding crescendo of
Artillery, Aircraft and Guns

Light and music flow through a camp
Combined with laughter and cheer
No one will die tomorrow
Though armor will clash and
Bones may be broken
When the dust has settled
The people who fought will
Sit together and feast while
Recounting tales of
THE BATTLE

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.

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