The Ugliest Word Poem by Nassy Fesharaki

The ugliest word

I, a veteran, in the dictionaries,
Have been in three wars, at least,
Have carried soldiers and logistics,
Took alive and fresh, though worried,
And brought back dead and injured,
In the bags, caskets, on the stretchers.

I have seen those who lost eyes, hands,
Feet, legs, parts of face, and far beyond.

I have seen the waiting finances losing hope
And have seen wives leaving the injured to help
Other patients, with more injuries…sympathy?

No, I do not say that I have seen it all,
But have seen enough of civilians caught
Between the guns and gunners, fallen
By the stray bullets of non-professionals
Or the impatient, tired, careless professionals.

Now, want to blow all the air in my lungs
To shout: "Veteran is the ugliest word ever! "

Kill me and turn me to ashes,
Compost me and mix with manure
But do not call me a veteran.

Veterans are greyhounds of the
Meanest creatures with claims
Of being good, but evil, devil,
The politicians, warmongers…

The victims' list is too long…
I suffice with the recent ones,
Include the Japanese in China,
Bomb the Vietcong in Vietnam,
Cruelty of Israelites in Palestine,
Falkland, Cuba, and Venezuela,
Then Yemen, Libya, and Syria
To the burning Sudan, Ethiopia,
To Iraq, and Iran…now Ukraine!