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The Lake That Consumes

by Jani Michielsen

Where do all the Soldiers go
When the war is over and done
When the government says it’s over
And the papers say we won

They go home all smiles
But a secret they all hide
There is a darkness they keep fighting
Right behind their eyes

The sadness and the loss
They never seem to shake
And memories of deeds done
Cover their souls in the this lake

The darkness can choke out the sun
The hurt can harm the soul
Fight it further on old Soldier
Until your rest at the grassy knoll

There is no shame in help dear Soldier
For our power grows in numbers
Find your strength in those around you
And never let the dark take you under

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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