by Daniel Clancy
Flashbacks and I
don’t know why
But I remember
That’s why I cry
There’s no atonement
We all deserve to die
Late night raids
I’d kick in their door
Terror comes knocking
Revenge on every floor
Still paying for those sins
I can’t take anymore
Don’t feel bad for me
I joined for this
Violence lasts forever
Ignorance is bliss
Our fingers on the trigger
These warning shots won’t miss
_______________________
This first appeared in The Havok Journal on December 27, 2024.
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.
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