His only crime
was that he was 19.
A year of college
after graduating high school,
and he dropped out
to see the world
dressed in olive drab.

His buddies called him professor
though he knew that wasn't true.
Three sixty-five and a wake-up
was all he ever knew.

Today he's still scarred,
while walking through some woods,
the backfire of a car,
the taste of some food.
His war was forgotten,
wouldn't even join the VFW.

He sits alone, in his room
never recovering from
his one and only crime.

06/05/1975

Author's Note: ... old memories still run deep.....

Posted on 11/16/2012
Copyright © 2025 Joe Cramer