The Veteran

When embers burn low
And hard drink makes him soft
The words tumble out
He no longer seems lost

Pen captures feeling
When the story’s unclear
The woods bring quiet
This darkness, no fear

Such contrast, the world
Back where he lives
And the war, back then
Where this saga begins

The boy and old man
In the blink of an eye
While other boys lay
In the field where they died

Meaning, purpose?
The cost was so high
Unsure how to live
When he thought he would die

But crickets sing now
A cool breeze in the night
Sorting it out
Years after the fight