NIGHT VIEW, BASE CAMP, EAST OF KYIV
There aren’t as many stars tonight
As once there were before;
I’ve watched a hundred of them fall;
I’m certain there were more.
There aren’t as many soldiers now
As once there were before;
I’ve seen a hundred good men die;
I’m sure that there were more.
And yet, the stars keep shining
Bright, blazing as the sun.
For every one that fades away,
A new one has begun.
Soldiers, too, are like the stars.
I guess they’ll always be
Expendable, replaceable,
Unto the last draftee.
—from Poets Respond
October 1, 2023
__________
Stephen Abney: “This poem concerns the ongoing war in Ukraine. Its message applies to many other conflicts, past and present.”
