A Man Left Behind

a survivor's vow

And I shall never forget you on my day of leaving,

leaving you all behind, buried somewhere beneath 

the ruble of ignorance and politics, maimed for life,

lost on some horizontal son of a b***h sunset,

gone for good to the heavens.

No! I say. I shan't forget you.

But on my return I leave behind another man

I'll never know, for he stays among you

on those shores of darkness, licking wounds,

playing in the shudder of fear.

He lost himself somewhere in the battle he never bore,

to the bullets and the madness unknown to his soul.

Here, together, we will stay forever!

Our honor and glory among our blessings

we and our Creator bestow on ourselves

for braving that great storm.

Alfred W. Kukitz

Chu Lai, South Vietnam

U. S. Army

Reviews

[jacob erin-cilberto]

this really moves me, AL...
soldiers leave a piece of themselves behind after each battle...as we all do in everyday life with the battles we face..

my favorite line: "lost on some horizontal son of a b***h sunset"

that is a compelling, punch in the face kind of line...