I wrote this in 2002, a friend of mine (nicoli alexander) a silversmith who taught me a lot of stuff, at night after we closed down the booth, (I helped him with his shop selling when he was custom smithing for people) he would tell me stories of his time in Vietnam (before I had a video camera) nicoli was never afraid to cry when he told his stories, he made a large impact on my life, I wrote this one night after I came home from him telling me the story. it left a great impact on my life in understanding the whole thing, it cleared me of my ignorance, it helped me grow as a man
here is a video of nicoli with a short lesson on silversmithing, I have many other videos of him teaching silversmithy stuff there, hints and tips and tricks!
now here is where I tried to read my poem, I am horrible at reading, mostly because I have a TBI and have horrible memory issues, and I have troubles with the rhythm processes within the poem
I am also very self critical, I hear that seems to be a problem with some artists, I fail to see the accomplishments made and tend to see all the things I missed or did incorrectly, something I am trying to overcome, realizing that perfection is something rarely achieved
Missing Man
A flag of white and black,
Woven from fields of cotton;
Bears as a plaque,
That you are not forgotten.
Through losses of the attack,
For Uncle Sam,
We wait for souls to come back,
From the jungles of Vietnam,
To the deserts of Afghanistan,
For freedom and honor you fight;
On the seas near Japan,
You are remembered by birthright.
You are the missing man.
You are a father, you are a son.
Seized for freedoms plight,
Unknown, taken by the barrel of a gun,
Americans waiting to re-unite.
You are the man who fought for a nation,
You are a man who deserves an ovation,
You are part of this country’s foundation,
Hidden in an unknown location.
Missing in action, memories survive,
Devoted lovers instill the hope;
Faith in your life remains alive,
Despair overwhelms, we try to cope.
You are the missing man.
Remembered by many, survived by few,
How our lives have changed,
Plans were faltered, thrown askew,
Partners have left, gone estranged.
But your life means so much,
To us, family, and your comradeship,
The flag, the memorial to touch,
Your duty, still remains a flagship.
You are the martyr among men,
A vision to look to in times of need,
Describing your duty cannot even begin,
You are a faculty of life, truly indeed.
You are the missing man.
The only soldier called absent,
Your honor is the only decoration,
The dignity is self evident,
Karma will be your true vindication .
To this country, the things you’ve given,
Your freedom, life, the ultimate sacrifice;
That’s what keeps this country so driven,
Somehow, the flag seems to under price.
A simple cotton flag of black and white,
Bears the symbol of the missing man,
It doesn’t seem to be enough, not quite;
But simply, a flag is where it all began.
You, my comrade, are the missing man.
I salute you.
written by todd anderson 2002!
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