virtuoso
05-27-2014, 09:33 AM
An ode to the utility crews
men who fought behind the lines
not with rifle or munition
but with shovel and spade
the boulevards of war to pave
to the women that served in solitude
not in tented camps or isolated bivouacs
but in the clerical field offices in the rear
the technical aspects of war to filter
The construction detail's sullied hands
bore no gunpowder burns
nor shoulders the recoiling pains
only the blisters of corrosive strain
repetitive friction of handles rubbing hands
Secretaries' hands with milk-white tread
Few privations, few bombs to skirt
No percussive marks, just Carpal Tunnel aches
from typing, filing memos and reports
Carrying their country's mantra with pride, devotion
Dedicated to the monotony of thankless tasks
Supporting the fighting men without acclaim
Sharing in the spoils of victory just the same
men who fought behind the lines
not with rifle or munition
but with shovel and spade
the boulevards of war to pave
to the women that served in solitude
not in tented camps or isolated bivouacs
but in the clerical field offices in the rear
the technical aspects of war to filter
The construction detail's sullied hands
bore no gunpowder burns
nor shoulders the recoiling pains
only the blisters of corrosive strain
repetitive friction of handles rubbing hands
Secretaries' hands with milk-white tread
Few privations, few bombs to skirt
No percussive marks, just Carpal Tunnel aches
from typing, filing memos and reports
Carrying their country's mantra with pride, devotion
Dedicated to the monotony of thankless tasks
Supporting the fighting men without acclaim
Sharing in the spoils of victory just the same