these wars

these wars. these men.
these women.
dying.
coming home
limbless. eyeless.
minds torn
in half, never
quite out
of where they've been.
these wars.
that never end,
from the first
sword drawn,
to the last missile
spent. filling
endlessly the flag
draped coffins.
these wars
are with us,
with our parents,
with our children.
these wars.
these women,
these men.