Women

Google Image

I consider myself to be
a peaceful person
living in a place
not fraught with war
void of detonating bombs
fragments of life gone

I consider myself but
to no avail
for the rumbling of war
has never been far
as off in the distance
on foreign soils
it creeps very close
to my own back door

I considered myself to be
living my life apart
even during Viet Nam years
seen on broadcast news
of death and others tears
of something I was
unable to touch

I considered myself & then
my son joined in the ranks
of men and women called
to fight in a war fueled
by the inner turmoil
of a people distant
and out of sight

I considered myself to be
untouched by the carnage
the destruction of
people unknown to me
whose lives were
never mentioned

I considered myself & then
you came home & you
seemed different
for you brought the
memories with you
that now touch my life
to forever affect it
with war

I have known many who became soldiers. My own father and his brothers fought in World War II, my brother was in service during Viet Nam but did not see battle. But when my own son went to the Middle East, even though he was fortunate enough not to have had to be in a battle, he saw enough of the aftermath, that it has affected his life in ways I will never be able to understand. For most soldiers do not speak of what they have seen and heard but these things, I know, cannot be erased from memory.

http://intothebardo.wordpress.com

Picket signs once spoke
loud and clear of freedom
men walking along the
cobbled streets the soot
no longer rising from the
factory stacks where they
chose to fight for higher
wages and benefits for
growing families telling
their story again and
again heads held high
walking the picket line

Picket signs now tell us
who others are and who
everyone should be with
ideas pressing against
truths men and women fight
to bring about changes
fought for so long ago to
narrow a wide gap between
haves and have-nots in a
park or on a street corner
heads held high walking
another picket line

My dad worked for the Ford Motor Co and was always proud to carry a picket sign when it was his turn for ‘picket duty’ but he always managed to keep our family afloat by going down to the docks to find work. Then, unions accomplished far more than they do today, by fighting for increased wages and better benefits. In today’s world they are still fighting to achieve the same things but as most of these things were not even in place originally for most of the companies in the United States…giving the reason why unions were established to begin with…their fight is on a different level as companies generally have decent wages in place and benefits. But all in all companies that have unions for their employees are a plus as when a worker has a problem they have someone to back them up.