The Rose that Grew from Sand 

by Daniel Clancy

A rose can grow in the sand
Now I understand why
we’re forever strangers in your lands
I’ll never be the bigger man 
Running around machine-guns in hand

We both had language and cultural barriers.
Staring into the same sky at two different saviors
If we stay caught in this vengeful web
Instead of healing we’ll both die instead 

How can you win hearts and minds
When all this violence does is blinds
I will gladly ask for forgiveness and make amends
My dying wish that our children would be friends 

We will never be the heroes 
with this guilt on our hands 
We’ve shed enough blood 
to grow roses in the sand

_______________________________________ 

In his upcoming book, The Rose That Grew From Sand, Daniel Clancy, a retired Marine Corps and Army infantryman with over 20 years of service, offers a raw and unflinching look at war. Through stark and visceral poetry, he captures the violence of the battlefield and the deeper battles soldiers face when they come home—grappling with PTSD, mental health struggles, and the difficult readjustment to civilian life.

As the Voice of the Veteran Community, The Havok Journal seeks to publish a variety of perspectives on a number of sensitive subjects. Unless specifically noted otherwise, nothing we publish is an official point of view of The Havok Journal or any part of the U.S. government.