Terry D. Sutherland

DESPAIR

Chording songs on his Gibson Guitar
Quietly thinking of battles afar
Wishing he’d stayed drunk in a bar
Those are the thoughts of a Vet

Walking with pain each long day
Hoping somehow he’ll find a way
To idle fear and keep it at bay
Those are the hopes of a Vet

To change without changing
To sing without singing
To love without clinging
That is the mind of a Vet

Penning words without sense
Waiting for government recompense
Covering dope with cheap incense
That is the life of a Vet

A casket covered with a flag
A short smoke; one last drag
The last twenty years he was stag
That was the life of a Vet