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From Richard Dana Brody
Poem also at Poetry

Standing Guard at the 38th Parallel
To the Veterans of Btry A 4th Bn (Herc) 44th Arty, Korea

A glimpse of light appears on silhouettes of mountain peaks. 
The night has been long. 
My eyes see what I feel... shadows moving. 
Silence, not even a breeze.
Great winged moths have ceased their shrill
and multitudes of insects call no longer. 
Nor do the frogs make their presence known,
in center of the darkened sky -- alone.
Light and color entwine. 
Below the mist a small figure moving, alive! 
These rotting sandbags surrounded me too long
and, what have I to fear? Shadows aren't real!
Magazine locked, making my rounds. Feel the presence. 
The mountain, the valley filled with unmarked graves. 
Mist no longer hides the smell of rice paddies
I fill my nostrils, at least its real.
Sky full of color now, and the mountains a pretty sight 
with the green of the valley framed in four-inch squares.
Rusting barbs between me and the sunrise.
Richard Dana Brody

Copyright ©2005 Richard Dana Brody