A Soldier's Psalm in this Time of the Iraqi War for Lieutenant Timothy C. Lawton (3rd Infantry Division)
Under your wings shall I trust Your flanks within, Drenched with smoke and dust. Soldiers see through this war Chastened by each death. War's steps take hold on America Lest enemies be filled with strength, Who wash down their cries with blood As if gorging bitter grapes. Soldiers see through this war Glimpsed like a shade's face. When will this war end? Not with the sweep of a hand. Comrades with comrades know With bandaged temples and hands. Soldiers see through this war On a plain of sand. O Lord I shall not be afraid By the terror of the night; Nor by the hate that torches The length of daylight. O keep my soul still, Lord, For depths worse than hell. by James Wm. Chichetto ... who is a freelance poet, with eight books of verse to his credit, and works appearing in The Native American Poetry Anthology, The First Abbey Wood Anthology, The Boston Globe, The Boston Phoenix, The Colorado Review, Gargoyle, The Manhattan Review, Poem, The Paterson Review. He is related to combat veterans of the Korean War and World War Two; and teaches writing and literature at Stonehill College. |