Navy Blues

You came home on short notice, furrowed brow and short fuse
I made my usual jokes, but you were not amused
You said college was nowhere, but you learned you could choose
So you signed up with a new team, got a navy tattoo
There are deaths at each sunrise on the radio news
But you won’t see the tear stains on my navy blues

This old man has grown weary but don’t misconstrue
I wish things were different, I wish better for you
But I see where you’re going and there’s nothing to do
Blood runs from the sacrificed freedoms you lose
Somehow you think you’re just paying your dues
Like your dad years ago when he wore navy blues

Your grandpa was proud of his navy career
But had nightmares and flashbacks for sixty odd years
My own dreams are still haunted in the blues and the reds
Of the bombshells, the burning, and the screams of the dead
I’d started out anxious to serve and protect
Only many years later I had time to reflect.

As you sped down that dirt road I hoped that you knew
A part of me followed as the road dust did too
My pride in you son doesn’t soften my views
It’s not unpatriotic if one should refuse
To serve in a war that began with a ruse
I’m left empty in heartache with these navy blues

Copyright Tracy S. Feldman, All rights reserved