Agent Orange Poem by Lawerence Mize, Sr.

Living on borrowed time.
Always wondering...
How many days left
are mine.

I'm a dead man walking.
A living corpse as cold as the grave.
Got blood thinners and Nitro tabs
To make my heart behave.

It's no big thing.
Just my dumb luck.
Thought I'd signed on for adventure,
Not rice paddy muck.

I think of things
I've done in my life.
Nothing can match
The Vietnam stuff.

Keep being reminded
At Veterans Day each year.
Of all the firefights and struggles,
All the fear.

My eyes were wide open.
Was young as could be.
Saw so many bodies
Lifeless, yet free.

Free of their troubles.
Their stress was all gone.
A green body bag,
Now, nothing could go wrong.

I helped so many.
Only to see them die alone.
Now, I remember their faces.
Some make me cry.

The Government knew
About the effects of Agent Orange.
And I...like so many others,
Will die very soon.