Endless wandering
The expenditure of energy is alarming.
Motivation wanes and primal instincts
Take control of the limbic system
Who is this person pulling the trigger?
Sprinting across a danger area
To dig into a harder piece of cover?
It is the animal within us
And it loves every second
Of this bloodlust.
It is the spirit that must come to grips
With the things it sees in war.
The animal will be sent back to its cage
Only to be fed scraps
Of leftover meat
But it never forgets the freshness
Of the blood from combat.
Native Rhode Islander and proclaimed Renaissance Man, Iraq vet He is the author of Stones of the Wooded Valley and The Silent Whispers of Omens. His latest book PHANTOMS, covers his deployment to Iraq in '06-'07. Ben is the 2024 recipient of the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation’s Robert A. Gannon award for original poetry dealing with Marine Corps Life.
What’s happening at VetRep…
ONLY ONE SHOW LEFT! DECEMBER 14th
Join us for an intimate evening of theater in the heart of Cornwall at our cozy Parlor on Quaker Ave. The final Parlor performance of the year will feature seven, 10-minute plays authored by veterans, including plays that have won grants through VetRep’s bi-annual Playwriting competition. Settle in with a winter mocktail and dessert while we explore drama, comedy, and all the feelings in between through each short play.
POTSHOTS by Stephanie Kline
THE ELEPHANT DELIVERY by Bill Smith
FISH TALE by Phil Wozniak
GIVEN: A WAY by Michael Towers
INTERMISSION PLAY by Dakota Silvey
IT'S NOT BLOOD by Kim Ruyle
SUNSET & VINE by Jack Truman