A Soldier’s Tale
by David Palethorpe
“Thank you for your service,” they say,
Calling us heroes as we return one day.
We believed we fought for liberty,
To keep our homeland proud and free.
They hailed us as saviours of democracy,
But how naïve we were to believe
That our nation would honour its debt,
Treat us with dignity, not forget.
Discarded when no longer in need,
Left homeless, to the streets we concede.
Now, I’ve found a place to dwell,
An eight-by-ten room, a prison cell.
Three hot meals and a bed to rest,
Time alone to face the unrest.
Still, I love my country, call it home,
Even from this place where I atone.
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