by Francis Mathias

Roll out the bright red carpet
Strike up the big brass band
Unfurl the iconic piece of cloth
All across our land

That time of year has come again
To honor those who served
In freedom’s fight
Our way of life
To honor and preserve

Fine phrases all and worth repeating
Each and every year,
No doubt there’ll be more fallen heroes
For us to shed a tear

For God and country (i.e., Creed and Greed)
Their precious blood was shed
Whole generations laid to waste
Left traumatized, maimed, or dead

Beneath the slabs of stone in rows
Both friend and foe now lie,
No longer enemies once interred
Who made them so in life?

The only Veterans Day henceforth
That I shall not ignore,
Is one that never comes to pass
When war itself’s no more