Now That It's Over
Now that it’s over, I do not have to wear all green.
Now that it’s over, I do not have to wear boots 17 hours a day, 6 days a week,
I do not have to ask permission to smoke, eat or go to the bathroom,
I do not have to be in bed after dark and up before light,
I do not have to get up, dressed, brushed, polished and shaved a mere 6 hours after lights out,
I do not have to shower with flip-flops on.
I do not have to eat pudding with a fork, now that it’s over.
I do not have to request permission from someone 3 years younger than me to speak or move.
Now that it’s over, I do not have to walked forced marches of 42 miles overnight,
I do not have to do calisthenics before every meal,
I do not have to wake up for three hours at night to stand alone in some forsaken watchtower,
I do not have to drive around in a small cramped armored hummer on a Sunday afternoon,
I do not have to work in a kitchen making salads all day if my boots are not polished,
I do not have to eat canned meat.
I do not have to sleep in a flimsy two person tent…now that it’s over.
Now that it’s over, I do not get show off ‘Donna,’ my ‘flat-top,’
Now that it’s over, I do not get to relax around a cup of Turkish coffee at midnight in the desert after a long day in the field,
I do not get to cover my partners back as we cross into Arab villages, silent as cats,
I do not get to ride around in open hummers with no doors or windshield,
I do not get to take busses for free,
I do not get to fire live rounds at cans of soda from 250 yards away and watch them explode,
I do net get to take in the sunrise in solitude after a pre-morning shift and think “this is what I’m fighting for,”
I do not get to embrace a friend on a Sunday morning as if we hadn’t seen each other for months,
I do not get to eat friday night dinner with the biggest family imaginable,
I do not get to see the people whom I have come to consider as brothers every day.
I do not get to wake up every morning knowing that I was risking the highest possible price to protect my country and her people…Now that it’s over.
Now that it’s over, I do not have to wear boots 17 hours a day, 6 days a week,
I do not have to ask permission to smoke, eat or go to the bathroom,
I do not have to be in bed after dark and up before light,
I do not have to get up, dressed, brushed, polished and shaved a mere 6 hours after lights out,
I do not have to shower with flip-flops on.
I do not have to eat pudding with a fork, now that it’s over.
I do not have to request permission from someone 3 years younger than me to speak or move.
Now that it’s over, I do not have to walked forced marches of 42 miles overnight,
I do not have to do calisthenics before every meal,
I do not have to wake up for three hours at night to stand alone in some forsaken watchtower,
I do not have to drive around in a small cramped armored hummer on a Sunday afternoon,
I do not have to work in a kitchen making salads all day if my boots are not polished,
I do not have to eat canned meat.
I do not have to sleep in a flimsy two person tent…now that it’s over.
Now that it’s over, I do not get show off ‘Donna,’ my ‘flat-top,’
Now that it’s over, I do not get to relax around a cup of Turkish coffee at midnight in the desert after a long day in the field,
I do not get to cover my partners back as we cross into Arab villages, silent as cats,
I do not get to ride around in open hummers with no doors or windshield,
I do not get to take busses for free,
I do not get to fire live rounds at cans of soda from 250 yards away and watch them explode,
I do net get to take in the sunrise in solitude after a pre-morning shift and think “this is what I’m fighting for,”
I do not get to embrace a friend on a Sunday morning as if we hadn’t seen each other for months,
I do not get to eat friday night dinner with the biggest family imaginable,
I do not get to see the people whom I have come to consider as brothers every day.
I do not get to wake up every morning knowing that I was risking the highest possible price to protect my country and her people…Now that it’s over.
posted by Anonymous at 10:17 AM
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