"MEMORIES"

By Ben Fortier

Their keepsake from home
A staunch reminder
That another world outside this one
Is empty and longing for our presence.
I watch them run their fingers over the sacred item
As if they’re caressing the face of their loved one,
Reassuring them of the moment when they will return.

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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.

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From the entire VetRep workshop, we wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a New Year filled with absurd, whimsical, and jarring moments of joy (you know, just how we like it). 🎭

Thanks for being part of the magic—we couldn’t do this without you.

With holiday cheer (and some cookies to spare),
🎅 Savage Santa & 🧝 Wonder Elf
VetRep’s Resident Mischief Makers

P.S. Make your gift recurring for even more impact—and Wonder Elf promises to put in a good word for you with the Big Guy. 😉