This poem was prompted by a listener request.
WWII Veterans
To those who have served, we thank you.
You walk in a bar
Maybe a new one downtown
Maybe an old one that’s been there
Since you can remember
And you see people chatting
Laughing and clinking their glasses
Do they have any idea?
The simple freedom
To go where you want
When you want to
With whoever you choose
To cheers and joke
About weather or the government
All of them there
Do they have any idea
How close we were
To losing it all
There’s an old photo on the wall
Just beside the bar
A grainy black and white
Of a fresh face, smiling,
Standing on the wing of a plane
A face that could be yours
And all these people
Have no idea
And yet still you raise your glass
And give them a toast,
And the rest of us
In bars and stores and homes
All across the State
Do the same, for you, and say, thanks
Produced by Laura Rice.
