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Flag
by Henry Burt Stevens
Friday, March 18, 2005
Rated "G" by the Author.
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Some for, some against, but today is the last day of the second year of the Iraq war. Henry pauses to remember our dead and wounded, and the dead, wounded and homeless of Falluhah. Our troops as of March 17 were 1,516 dead, 11,220 seriously injured. Fallujah is mostly destroyed, most people homeless, thousands dead, many were children. Someday their story will be told. |
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Flag
by Henry B Stevens
05/02/2004
www.authorsden.com
Not moving, not dancing
lying very still
now a coverlet
a decoration
for remains forever static.
The starred blue square
marks the head
although we do not know
or ask if there is a head inside.
The red white stripes
point to the feet
as in patrol, platoon
squad and squadron.
Do not look or note
or photograph these flags
covering metal boxes
it's unpatriotic.
Do not recite the names
of what the remains were called
as it aids the enemy
is an intrusion on family grief.
Do explain to the children
especially the very young ones
why flags are gleefully everywhere
when starting the war.
But now we do not look at
or think about
flags on
metal boxes.
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| Reviewed by MaryGrace Patterson |
3/20/2005 |
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| A deep inciteful poemm..M |
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| Reviewed by George Carroll |
3/18/2005 |
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| Mr. Broome has said it all too well. |
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| Reviewed by F William Broome |
3/18/2005 |
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Your words say it so well and so grimly. Thank you for presenting these views of death and why. Somehow, we must learn to live with the dead of wars being fought on television, and in printed news media. Yes, some of it is better not seen back home. That's the way it used to be, and I'm convinced that reporters will never get it right when their bosses keep telling them to accentuate the wrongness of it all. Fighting a war to remove despots and dictators will result in deaths - of the military and civilians, and we in the US must keep making the decision that it is worth it to bring peace and democracy to more and more people of our world. Iraq is an "idea" and if it works there, perhaps, we will begin to see the end of our young paying the ultimate price for others to enjoy freedom.
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| Reviewed by john zimmerman |
3/18/2005 |
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you have touched a point of great pain
for or against the "war" the sacrifice of the
dead and maimed must be acknowledged --
not with patriotic tripe, or partician spin,
but with the simple recognition of the price
that they have paid . . .
an elegant piece . . .
john+ |
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| Reviewed by Mr. Ed |
3/18/2005 |
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| It does sadden me tremendously that we give far more emphasis and coverage to the patriotic flag waving than to honoring and paying the tribute due to the gallant men and women who have fallen, and who have given their all, so that we can wave those flags. |
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| Reviewed by Edwin Larson |
3/18/2005 |
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True...War is the hell freedom must suffer...Been there?...I think not. Freedom is an easy excerise when taken for granted...The ballot boxes represent the emancipation from centuries of tyranny...We all wish for a perfect world in naught. Life is precious. Innocents and the heros of freedom should never be forgotten.
EDL |
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