R.P. Barr

Vietnam Memorial Commemoration

I wrote this a few years ago. It is appropriate today.

Thirty-five Years

There’s a monument in Washington
Made black and polished stone
With rows of names upon it
Of young men I might have known.
Some I did know from high school
Or from the Army or were friends.
And, I can point to the column
Where my name might have been.

But, that was thirty-five years ago,
Years of pageant and parade.
And, I’m sure they would have appreciated
All the speeches that were made.

But, if you could ask any one them,
Of the flowers, flags and tears,
Which is the tribute he’d prefer,
He’d take those thirty-five years.

So, forgive me if I wince when
I hear calls to support our troops
As if they were a sporting team
Playing for points or goals or hoops.
Let’s support their health instead.
Let’s be slow to draw our guns.
And, never trust politicians
With the lives of our sons.

Responsibility -- a poem from 2001

Responsibility

Every day—
I looked it up—
How many go to work,
One hundred thirty-five million.
And, every day, one or two
Fail to come back home.

Most often, it’s health at fault.
Accidents sometimes, and
Now and then there’s violence.

For a handful of family,
Friends and the like,
The grief is profound.
Swallowed by sorrow, scalded by tears,
While the rest of the world never knows.

And, then, one crisp September morning,
Wrapped in a sky so bravely blue,
Two tall buildings came crashing down,
A third shot through,
And a fourth escaped because
Some fought back.
Four planeloads perished, and
Thousands of workers that single day
Failed to come back home.

Some charge the reason was hate
For a country that minds its business.
Others opine the motive to have been
A heartless cry for help.

But, the reason was neglect. It was.
You know hostility is as sporadic and yet
As expected as the rain.
And those elected to watch over our shelter
Were shown the holes again and again.
But, why patch the roof
When the sun shines brightly,
And the sky above is blue.

Besides, every day,
Millions go to work.
Only one or two
Fail to return home
And, hardly anyone notices.