Betrayed.

I wrote this poem because I was saddened and angered by the fact that ex-serviceman make up a a quarter of all the homeless people in the UK Once our men & woman have served their purpose they are thrown on the scrap heap. How can this country begin to help veterans with PTSD when they cant even offer them shelter. These men are proud and don’t like to beg for nothing that’s why they fend for themselves on the streets of Britain. Most would be better off in Prison as they will be fed and have a roof over their heads. Lets not forget even the most successful in life can end up destitute. Next time you see a man sleeping rough of the streets just remember he may have been serving his country in Iraq & Afghanistan recently surely he deserves better.

Shuffling down the street trying to keep warm
The water was in his sock now, his boots seen better days
As he had many moons ago when bristling with pride and youth
Now hunched against a railway bridge his collar chaffed his neck
Smiling down at him a Labour poster promising him a future
Laughing he coughed up phlegm and spat it at the face
Trying to stand, pain shot up his spine
His mind propelled him back in time
Top cover in Basra a road side bomb `BANG` it all went black
Rain lashed the veteran’s face as he limped into the emptiness
Looking back at the phlegm he giggled like he did in the block with his mates
"Shot Over," "Splash Over" he was happy for a while.






© Mack (RG) The thoughts of a Falklands War Veteran.