And Then, We Paused

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Greetings
Such cordial tidings this summons—
Duty, honor, country beckon.
We raised our hands,
Our salute to manhood
And then, we bid adieu.

We came.
We served.
We vanished—
Innocence, of course
The first casualty of war
And then, we vanished, again.

Back to the world
Whole, except where we were broken
To study, work, marry, parent—
Memories simmered in the caldrons of our minds
As stalwarts stoically stood watch
And then, we paused.

Lid lifted.
Spirits released.
Guarded memories of yester youth
Waft above our restlessness.
Silence silenced.
And now, we speak.

By Tom Reilly, Sergeant US Army, Vietnam 1969-70
author of Hope in The Shadows of War

#poetryofwarseries

Author: Tom

Business owner, professional speaker, author, and salesman . . . Since 1981, Tom has traveled globally sharing his content-rich message of hope. Tom literally wrote the book on Value-Added Selling. Tom has a B.A. in Psychology from St. Louis University and an M.A. in Psychology from University of Missouri in St. Louis with a special emphasis in work motivation theory. He spent four years in the United States Army where he honed his leadership skills as a Drill Sergeant. Tom is a prolific writer and researcher. He is a recipient of the Northeast Business Editors Silver Award; author of fifteen books; and editorial contributor to several magazines. Tom is an avid golfer, Harley-Davidson rider, and fountain pen collector. Please click here for Tom’s complete bio.

2 thoughts on “And Then, We Paused”

  1. Tom,
    So powerful and touching are your words. Reflected and surrounded by thoughts and feelings of a man touched deeply by his life. Thank you for sharing this post. I’ll look forward to more.

  2. Thanks, Regina. This poem is filled with “inside baseball” for Vets. “Greetings” refers to the first line of our draft notice. The “world” is the term we used for the United States. I am submitting it for publication in a Veterans’ magazine.

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