A Bear in the Woods

A Bear In The Woods

Like a bear, he lived in a hollow tree
In a place they call Stump City
There's nowhere to go for some Nam vets
No escape, no relief, no pity

Behind the Redwood Curtain was where he hid
He lived with his pain and his brothers
Deep in the forest they made their home
Where they wouldn't be bothered by others

People die from wars long after they're done
The burden is too much to handle
Combat vets who are left are the toughest of all
To these guys, Rambo can't hold a candle

80,000 suicides since the end of the war
Another 58,000 on The Wall
How many men can one generation give?
Almost daily we still see them fall

This poem I write for a brother called BEAR
He stood before the Traveling Wall
The voices of the Dead called out to him
A few days later he answered the call