For my friend SSG Donald Neal Davis. Lost to war on 24 August 2004. Freedom is very costly.
Shadows
A Poem by Coyote Poetry
(I learn today like every August.) I lost a good friend.My friend. You taught me. Friends stand together in good and bad days.
You taught me the value of family. You taught me. We have few true friends.
I miss your laughter and kind words. One day I will join you in paradise with
the old soldiers. We will drink some cold beer and talk of our children.
——————————John Castellenas Aug 2015
We can’t escape the bad or the good done in a life.
My good friends killed in Iraq in 2004 with my daughter and his two daughters.
War?
Shadows
My sister told me. “You have changed. ”
She told me. “You saw too much shit and your mind and eyes are cold..”
I told her,.
“War isn’t personal.
You do what you are told. Try to forget and move on”
I kissed her forehead.
I told her. “War was easy.
This world falling apart around me.
I don’t know what to do.?
That the crazy shit I don’t understand.”
Up in the morning before five.
We don’t need no sunshine.
Organization, discipline, three square meals a day.
Old SGT. say. “It will be all OK.”
Young boss at work asked me too many questions.
I told him it is not for him to understand.
When you stand tall at attention. Salute a M-16, boots and helmet of a dead soldier.
You join a club.
The soldiers that lived must carry on with their buddies stories and memories.
Drink a beer on the day of their friends death. Can’t allow them to be forgotten.
.
Lying on cold ground.
Waiting for a hidden enemies.
You slapped your magazine to insure it is loaded right.
You light up a cigarette and hope all things will be alright.
Going to Iraq with my gun.
Going to kill some Iraqi sons.
Generals sent Division of soldiers.
Names don’t matter.
Reaching for more stars.
Mama and Papa sit by the phones.
Wife and family pray for the day their soldier come home safe and sound.
Soldiers talk about kids and woman.
Takes up most of our time.
No-one talks of dying.
Ain’t no race or religion.
Protect your friend back and he watched your back.
Soldier do right and wrong things.
A lucky man can walk away from all the shit and forget.
The shadow of war find you one day.
I stood with a mother of my friend killed in Iraq.
She held me up.
I saluted her son’s gravestone.
I go to the corner bar with other Veterans.
Drink to friends not here and missed.
Soldiers having fun.
Maybe baby sister is right.
The shadows are always with me.
COYOTE
Touched me deeply. Exactly how I feel about it all. I respect soldiers no matter what side they are on! They got integrity. Bravo for writing this JC
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Thank you AJ. No winner in war.
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I remember talking to you about the same friend once… May his soul rest in peace… 😞
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Beautiful tribute and very sad to continue to see how many soldiers we lose.
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I agree. Too many soldiers lost and I hope it was for a reason. Thank you Mary for reading and the comment.
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My heart goes out to you and the loved ones of your friend. Too young to die. Too much innocence lost. Too many young soldiers suffered. Too much inhumanity by men.
Kindness and compassion are better but there are too many human shells leading others into darkness and destruction all for the greed and feeling of entitlement to power.
Leadership is tainted in all countries with lack of empathy for fellow man.
And the young, strong men are sent to pay the price for the dark side of selfish men who cannot reconcile differences with humanity.
Man’s inhumanity to man is the darkest force .
Psychological trauma never really goes away. even when the young soldiers are grandfathers.
With love,
Annie
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You are right. We must help the children and wives of soldiers lost to war. They recieve little.
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Soo true Michelle. We are fighting on fronts created by power hungry monsters. I hope for a brighter tomorrow where no one dies for these things
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