"Ung Foy, Ung Roy, Ung Loy"
By s.p. burke
I traded martyrdom
For silence
I traded vigilance
For the grave
I traded all my better years
For ribbons
As a slave
Whose master, always ready
With whip slung
By his side
Beckoned, I ought to fight
Reckoned, I ought to die
If martyrs should be approaching
Or breach us at the sides
I should dive into the gap
Then be memorialized
As the hero "who done the fighting"
A man, straight-out, built for war
Though I rarely comprehended
What it was, I was fighting for
It wasn't King or Country,
It wasn't common law,
It wasn't just because
Somebody had placed a wall
Or border, or a fence,
In some horrid distant land,
I fought for those beside me,
Whom in ghostly shadows still stand.
s.p. burke is a retired intelligence analyst in the US Army. Follow him here. Listen to our Savage Wonder podcast episode with him here.
What’s happening at VetRep…
Listen to our latest episode with Kimberly Evans on the Savage Wonder Podcast, where we interview incredibly talented musicians, artists, writers, and theater professionals, who also happen to be veterans.
Join us this Saturday at the Parlor for Thrillers and Laughs, a collection of seven, veteran authored 10-minute plays that are sure to amuse, startle, and thrill you. Settle in with a refreshing summer mocktail and dessert made by our friends at Jones Farm for a night you won’t forget. Shows have been sold out all season long, so get your tickets before they’re gone!