ONCE FORGOTTEN
By Swashplate
Many years from now,On a rainy cold
day,
A young man wanders blindly,searching on his way.
To find his great grandfathers grave
site,
Pulling and yanking on vines and brush with all his
might.
Then,buried in years of neglect,A darkened,once
white marble stone,
Engraved deeply are words strange to him,he wipes
away dirt,with a moan!
MARVIN WARREN CAMP SR., he sits down
in the tall grass and mutters away,
With reverance, he faces the stone, eyes glazeing
over,thinking what to say.
What am I to say! It took years to find
you great-Grandfather.
Why didn`t the family clean it up here,They forgot,didn`t
bother.
Flowers in a pot, blackened with age,grace
your resting place,
All pictures but a few remain,Gone with out a trace!
He reaches deep in his pocket and unfolds
a paper photo,rare,
So, This is what you looked like!He holds the photo
and continues to stare!
With his hand, He gentily wipes more
dirty away,Words to find,
What does VIETNAM mean and Bronze Star mean? He searches
his mind.
That was that police action way back
in the 60`s and 70`s, The Draft?
He glances at the photo,a skinny young man standing
by a strange craft!
What was it like Granpaw? What did you
do? You got wings!! You fly?
I was only 2 when ya had to die!WHY???
We skimmed over Vietnam in high school,a
paragraph or so,
Teachers would answer our questions with, I don`t
know!
Some said it was a political thing.That
we lost it!
What was it about? Damn it Granpaw! Shit!
You are a part of me, yet I know so
little about you!
I know so little about what you were about and what
you went through.
I must come back one day an clean this
up here!
If only I had the time I fear!
ONCE FORGOTTEN.............
Marvin Camp
Camp Evans I corps, Doorgunner and Crewchief
Member VHCMA and Heli-vets
Army, 101st Abn Div. Vietnam 70-71
4/77th ARA, HHB and Cbtry
Posterchild for Seagrams and Budwieser!
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