Letters from Vietnam

 

Letters from Vietnam





Letters he wrote from Vietnam

were tied with a fanciful bow,
lying in wait

at the bottom of a dresser drawer,
beneath mahogany scents
of winter clothes,
and sepia toned afternoons.

White embossed envelopes

now yellowed,
mailed to a hometown he long remembered,
to a mother who had lost a husband

years before, to another war.

 

A last embrace she still recalls

looking through the mesh of a screen door,

as he waved goodbye...

 

 

Now she stands

at this garden of stone,

saluting her sergeant of twenty-one...

a freckled boy hardly grown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author's Note

I wrote this a couple of years ago to honor the men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice to war...and to all those who love them.

Reviews

[R Smith]

magnificent tribute to those lost in war, you expressed the sadness of it all perfectly :)

[Kelly Scheppers]

I am most thankful for your kindness, Richard.

[Dara]

This is a touching tribute to all the brothers in arms. We must never forget the ultimate sacrifice they made and the lasting impact it had on their loved ones. Thank you for sharing Kelly.

[Kelly Scheppers]

Always a delight to see you, Dara. Thank you!

[NoelHC]

Well done Kelly. Times have changed, and letters are sent nowhere as much as they used to be. Our son served in Afghanistan twice, I still have all the e-mails he sent at the time, saved on the computer. He came home safely.
Thank you for your thought for those parents of his buddies who may only have saved e-mails themselves now.

[Kelly Scheppers]

My heart goes out to them, Noel. Thank you for the warm review!

[ANTO]

I am speechless...
Great writing Kelly...

[Kelly Scheppers]

...thank you, dear Anto.

[Patricia Wedel]

dear Kelly... you have touched
my heart and soul of being a Mother.
You are an angel with a golden pen.
The last verse will be forever
embroidered upon my heart.
truly... Pat

[Kelly Scheppers]

Thank you, my dear Pat, for the joy you bring me! I'm thrilled you enjoyed it!

[Chris]

Wives and dads and mom's and children tend to do that - remember.

[Kelly Scheppers]

I'm glad you're here Chris...thank you!

[Shane Mohamed]

Indeed, war is a brutal reality, and the victims are not just the ones that die, but their families as well. This poem, what's the word I'm looking for? Gripping! It is very emotional and sentimental in ways beyond description. Brilliantly done.

[Kelly Scheppers]

I appreciate that, Shane...thank you so much!

[jacob erin-cilberto]

this is quite the tribute to them...you make the reader feel the love and the loss, and the damage of war, both physical and emotional.
and the memories that are always in the heart, hearts that eventually become like the stones that carry the names of those loved ones lost.
damn wars.

damn good poem.

[Kelly Scheppers]

You said it all in two words, Jacob..."damn wars"! Thank you!