Five Years Later

Five years later,
after countless loss,
deep sacrifice,
of those who answered the call
we are still at war
still fighting the enemy
entrenched in the land
a shattered vase, held together
by will, by hate, by hope
forces outside and tension within
a land ancient, a cradle of civilization
the Tigris and Euphrates
the land of Ur, of Abraham
a land of tyrants and madmen
in the swirling sand of the desert
the wealth in the oil,
the schisms of the Shia, the Sunni
the Kurds to the north
a land of tribal loyalty
a crucible for chaos
where we have been battling
Swift victory and stagnant struggle
five years later, more blood,
more treasure to pay
before any resolution
at all, for good or for evil
we are there still

March 20, 2008
March 19, 2008 marked the 5th anniversary
of the start of the Iraq War