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Been There Done That (poem)By Peter MahoneyI have a hat I wear Sometimes Caked with dirt and sweat Showing its age Like the head it sits on It reads Vietnam Been there done that A conversation piece But few ever notice And fewer still respond Perhaps the words are hard to see The letters faded Like the memories behind them Perhaps the words are hard to bear Better ignored than acknowledged Like the plight of those Who have been there And done that Some do respond Were you in Vietnam? A nod Thank you for your service Thank you for your service I have served nothing But a dripping plate Of death and blood To strangers And a heaping bowl of grief To the ones I love I have served no one But old men with fantasies Paid with young men's lives I am the blunt instrument of oppression The spear point of fear Thank you for your service I want to scream At the naive complicity In the crimes we commit But I don't I nod and smile And walk away Basking in the brief distinction Of one who's been there And done that —Peter Mahoney
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