STARS and STRIPES


By Stephen Cheney

A Flag of Honor,
A wave
in the winds of war.
Standing tall
For the noble man.

Warriors need
Words of like minds
To inspire
Minds when clouded
With blood;
Bodies when torn
Tired and doubted.
Bodied striped
By passing blades.

The souls of the dead
Need men
To pull together;
Above the graves
The living warriors
Fight for Mankind:
What is Mankind
Unless with Honor?
Either Men rule
Or Brutes rule,
One or the other.

Stars and Stripes
Looking up from
the sand, mud and water.
Through the spirit
Holding flesh and mind
In battle together.
Into the sky:
The Stars that call us,
Call us to be Men,
The shepherds of All.
Stars and Stripes.

(Image [Ed.]: Army Boot: Google Images)

[The views expressed in this publication are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Dissecting Society]

Comments

  1. I look at the state of the military around the globe and it's my opinion they have been dormant. Things are so out of hand that we might see the military taking power even in democratic countries. At least I pray for it.

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  2. Mr Stephen, no doubt a poignant poem. Politicians can never inspire soldiers specially when they didn't serve. And if they didn't serve how can they speak the same language?
    "The souls of the dead need men to pull together" yes we must honor those who passed away to protect us.
    Ah, Mr Stephen, thank you for the gift.

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  3. Hi Cheney,

    Powerful message.

    "What is Mankind
    Unless with Honor?"

    Exactly. But again, what does honour mean nowadays? I guarantee you that, for most, it means something entirely different.

    "Either Men rule
    Or Brutes rule,
    One or the other."

    As we have been seeing over the years. Politics is getting worse by the minute. We can count true leaders with the fingers of one single hand.

    "The Stars that call us,
    Call us to be Men,
    The shepherds of All."

    Amen.

    Cheney, absolutely gorgeous. You shouldn't dare to go AOL for so long :).

    Cheers

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  4. A great honour given to all of those who served. Thanks, Stephen.

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  5. This poem reminds me of Ezekiel 37 - the Valley of Dry Bones. It is just as powerful a message as this piece. All that comes to mind to say right now is: Amen and Amen.

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  6. What a beautiful ode to the ones who keep us safe. Of course if the political class do not allow our soldiers to protect us at home then more and more terror attacks will occur and the people will suffer because of political stupidity! I thank every service man and woman for their patriotism but the people's enemy now seems to be the ones we elect.

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  7. Awesome poem, man! The troops deserve it. The world is so chaotic with these fucking Mos that the military should take over.

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  8. The men and women who protect us deserve our respect but American politicians are cutting off their ability to do so with stupid policies. America is losing it and will lag behind one of these days. I hope the next president fixes this.

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  9. America is no longer the world's shepherd, so why try to bring them back to play that role? We need a new shepherd.

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