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JUST
A COMMON SOLDIER
(A
Soldier Died Today)
by A.
Lawrence Vaincourt
He was
getting old and paunchy and his hair was falling fast,
And he sat
around the Legion, telling stories of the past.
Of a war
that he had fought in and the deeds that he had done,
In his
exploits with his buddies; they were heroes, every one.
And tho'
sometimes, to his neighbors, his tales became a joke,
All his
Legion buddies listened, for they knew whereof he spoke.
But we'll
hear his tales no longer for old Bill has passed away,
And the
world's a little poorer, for a soldier died today.
He will not
be mourned by many, just his children and his wife,
For he
lived an ordinary and quite uneventful life.
Held a job
and raised a family, quietly going his own way,
And the
world won't note his passing, though a soldier died today.
When
politicians leave this earth, their bodies lie in state,
While
thousands note their passing and proclaim that they were great.
Papers tell
their whole life stories, from the time that they were young,
But the
passing of a soldier goes unnoticed and unsung.
Is the
greatest contribution to the welfare of our land
A guy who
breaks his promises and cons his fellow man?
Or the
ordinary fellow who, in times of war and strife,
Goes off to
serve his Country and offers up his life?
A
politician's stipend and the style in which he lives
Are
sometimes disproportionate to the service that he gives.
While the
ordinary soldier, who offered up his all,
Is paid
off with a medal and perhaps, a pension small.
It's so
easy to forget them for it was so long ago,
That the
old Bills of our Country went to battle, but we know
It was not
the politicians, with their compromise and ploys,
Who won for
us the freedom that our Country now enjoys.
Should you
find yourself in danger, with your enemies at hand,
Would you
want a politician with his ever-shifting stand?
Or would
you prefer a soldier, who has sworn to defend
His home,
his kin and Country and would fight until the end?
He was just
a common soldier and his ranks are growing thin,
But his
presence should remind us we may need his like again.
For when
countries are in conflict, then we find the soldier's part
Is to clean
up all the troubles that the politicians start.
If we
cannot do him honor while he's here to hear the praise,
Then at
least let's give him homage at the ending of his days.
Perhaps
just a simple headline in a paper that would say,
Our Country
is in mourning, for a soldier died today.
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