Shadows of the Past

 

 

Past the shadows moving against the light,

I look through the windows into the night.

Nothing has changed in all these years,

My nightmares still exist as do my fears.

 

My sleep disturbed by battle scenes,

Silence disrupted by horrendous screams.

Only in war could you make such friends,

In a world of atonement, God makes amends.

 

Fighting a war we could never win,

Fought by boys, not yet men.

Letters from home, they mean so much,

As time passes on, you still lose touch.

 

How often I’ve gazed at the stars so bright,

When I was safe at home and all was right.

The lulls in combat, they seem so mild,

Interrupted by the death of an innocent child.

 

My war ended the day I made it home,

From that day to this I’ve felt alone.

Past the shadows moving against the light,

I look through the windows into the night.

 

 

Michael D. Monfrooe

           1987