THE HOMELESS VET

You see me but you will never take the time to know me.

You view me as a problem.

I assure you I'm not.

I'm just a homeless vet that this nation's forgot.

I marched into gunfire for our freedom.

I did three tours to come back to a country that doesn't recognize me anymore.

I'd give my left arm if was still there for some MREs and to be out of this wheelchair.

Soup kitchen food ain’t doing it for me.

What's happened to my liberty?

People used to stop and salute me.

Now they just stare at my unshaven face and second hand clothes.

My future as a soldier was certain.

Kill or be killed.

I watched my friends get blown to bits before my eyes.

How is this justified?

Uncle Sam was all I knew.

I gave it all I had for the red, white and blue.

How can I possibly relate to you?

Even now I fight, but it's a different kind of war.

I fight so men like me aren't looked down upon so much anymore.

As long as I can speak or write with my one good arm, I have a voice.

I've made my choice.

As long as I have my mind, I'll keep fighting for the rights of my compatriots until I die.

By: Bonnie Lane