Binary Opposition
‘Levendy-‘leven
A children’s number
Yet
Everything too grown-up
Was waiting
For the papers on the tables
To be signed to
End
The awful
Too grown-up
Thing
Eleven eleven
Eleven eleven
And then
The terrible ritual
Was done and we could say
The war
Is over
Over there
Over here
The horror
Of a heart of darkness
Goes back under for
A season
Inside the shell of all the mortals
And the devils
Who let the horror out for
Four years
And now
To reckon all such times
And all such people
Knowing also
Innocent
To serve
Knowing by country
And by honor
And that was nearly all
Except
The names that each one
Might have known
To bear inside the pockets
And the packs
Before
Each battle
And on the field
After
Until games
As in the most harrowing
Of contests
Call
In-free
Come to base
The dark is on
Go home
C L Couch
Photo by Georgi Kalaydzhiev on Unsplash
(x = space)
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The Rites and Rights for Veterans
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I hope no one else
Was lost
While signatories waited for
11 11 11 11
The armistice
In a great war
All the ones
Must have been important
Were they really
And now the time
The day
Is broadened from one war
Into all wars
All military times
For service past
For anyone who fought
Whose fighting
Whose service into readiness
Now over
Now a veteran
Whose remains are
In the earth
Or whose living person
Very much deserves
To be served
In thanks
Or common sense
(someone’s hurt
we try to fix)
And is there not enough
And if not
Why not
Why not facilities
And programs
For the sacrifice
Same kind of treatment
We want
For anyone
Home
Back home
The kind of help
Plus the acknowledgement
For those of us
Moving only here
Might want
Might need
While they return
A victory
Returning
And might need assistance
Maybe much
Maybe grim
Or simply have stories
And it healthily
Supernally
Behooves us to
Listen
Listen
Listen
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C L Couch
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Photo by israel palacio on Unsplash
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