Faye Sizemore

PRIVATE JIM BARNES

In the jungle heat…
bathed in sweat and blood
… a young soldier lay

A captive of the enemy
… a miscalculation
He went the wrong way

‘Private Jim Barnes…
Regular Army 12487270’…
is all that he would say

Another beating and another
… stubborn and silent
he died that day

Private Jim Barnes
Regular Army 12487270
We call you a hero if we may

For because your silence
the rest of your buddies
got safely away…

A very few things
in this world
are worth your time
High among them
are kind friends
and a wise rhyme