Penniless Bench

With a broken body and broken mind
Hobbles crippled into the park to sit
Daily watch feeding some crumbled old bread rinds
To a few friendly birds he'd never quit

Tattered clothing old and out of fashion
A rough, hard weathered look upon his face
His are endless days without much passion
While Passerbys glance away in disgrace

Long ago wounded and now most forgetful
His body wrecked with the passing of time
A great victory no less merciful
Listen every noon the church bells still chime

Pitiful sight whose clothes have such a stench
Sits a great hero on Penniless Bench
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Posted: Jun 2012
About this poem:
Reflective of many , old and downtrodden folks who have once served
in wartime only to be left behind by an ungrateful nation. Sad but all
too true.....

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Comments (9)

paloma66
Its pathetic Yankee seeing these people who once who were someone and had something and now nothing.It brings tears to my eyes.Wish the world clould be a better place where people cared for each other,but times have become so hard that some struggle to keep body and soul together(food,shelter and integrity).Like the themes you touch on.thumbs up handshake teddybear
CloudySky
My heart goes out to those who gave so much and yet seem forgotten. I loved this message to those forgotten heros. cheers
Ahyra
Yes, very sad, and very true. Nice write Yankee. Thank you bouquet
Odette67
Long ago wounded and now most forgetful
His body wrecked with the passing of time

Same things happen here to our old soldiers...Who fought for our freedom...We live in a world of..."Me Myself I" No one seems to care...

Very thought provoking Sonnet Yankee. thumbs up purple heart
Poetnumber1
Hi Yankee,a lovely message.We do feel for those who fight for something worthwhile and in the end be treated as a lot of refuse,sad but most common in the world in which we live.wine
cafetwo2010
A magnificent poem and tribute to those who have made true sacrifices Yank. A nice poem to be placked in every local park. A poem worthy to be printed in your local paper if I may say so..professor cool thumbs up
windyweatherly
Pitiful sight whose clothes have such a stench
Sits a great hero on Penniless Bench


Steve, this is really troubling. Not to mention their mind being a razor for bad experience and then they end up in the gutter? and penniless becnh? it makes me wonder, do we really care for these forlorn, sad and helpless souls? we should realldy do something about it.

Thanks for sharing a sad tale and truth..

Windy
Earlgreytea
as a veteran, i applaud your write, we're quickly forgotten, its a big wrong, but, there you go, thanks for bringing the plight of our fellow humans to light... handshake
Yankee4youonline today!
It's been a week since I wrote this...during my day to day interactions delivering mail in a small city...I see and hear so much gossip...but try not and repeat it...but too many old vets...now from the Vietnam conflict....have sufferred too much...and while I thnak your comments....let none of us forget the terrible cost of war passed on many years and many generations later....it's to great a cost for many...it's just plain sad.....very very sad....
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