"Ebb and Flow"

By Chris Madsen

fresh blood on your pants
takes you back, in time -

feels more like a past life
than a distant memory -

comes on quick
faster than you’d expect
akin to a dream -
or déjà vu
like a sudden change in season.

as autumn leaves, you’re falling
taken by gravity and wind.
your back to the ground
face up to grey clouds
(brushed orange with the setting sun).

it hit like a sledgehammer
until you saw your breath -
on that first cold day in Fall.
with the cold against your back
you feel warmth coursing.

it’s good to have gone there
it’s good to be here

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Chris Madsen is a former Scout Sniper and US Army Veteran. You can find more of his writing here.

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What’s happening at VetRep…

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 Playwrighting 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