Underneath the Red, White, and Blue: A Veteran’s Silent Battle
Beneath the banner of the brave and free,
In shadows deep, where silent battles rage,
There lies a soul who fought for you and me,
Now trapped within a war’s unending cage.
The fireworks that light the peaceful sky,
To him, are echoes of a distant fight,
Where comrades fell, and still, his heart asks why,
He carries on, ensnared by endless night.
The parades march in cheerful, bold array,
Yet in his mind, the marches never cease.
The flags that wave in honor of the day,
For him, are shrouds that offer no release.
His valor, cloaked in ribbons and in stars,
Belies the wounds that time cannot erase.
Each scar a story of the unseen wars,
A silent testament to a darker place.
Yet in this struggle, hidden from our view,
He finds a strength, a will to persevere.
For even as the night claims hues of blue,
The dawn awaits, to whisper, persevere.
So let us hold our banners high and true,
And remember those who bear the deeper scar.
For underneath the red, white, and blue,
Is a veteran’s battle, both near and far.
Let’s honor them, not just in word, but deed,
For freedom’s cost is more than we can see.
It’s in the silent battles that they lead,
We find the price of our liberty.