There's No Such Thing(as an ex-Marine)

[couchgrouch]

There's No Such Thing(as an ex-Marine)Hair cut short...up before dawnhis pant legs had a razor creaseon a pole in his front yardan old flag rippled in the breezehis shoes shined like mirrorsit was a matter of pridehe saluted my mom's pictureev'ry day when she diedthere's no such thingas an ex-Marineit's semper-fi, do or dieall of their dayswhat they learn...what they dothey've been tried, they stay truein all they facethere's no such thingas an ex-Marinehe wasn't mean...he just meant businessand like lots of veteranshe hated jokes about the fightingon Leno and LettermanI remember my childhoodhe was always tough but fairhe made local bullies nervouswith his thousand yard starethere's no such thingas an ex-Marineit's semper-fi, do or dieall of their dayswhat they learn...what they dothey've been tried, they stay truein all they facethere's no such thingas an ex-Marinesometimes he'd sit there, in his rocking chairand drift away in silencehe still thought about, all the dying shoutsof boys on those Pacific islandswhen I beat him arm wrestlingI knew something was wrongcos even pushing eightyhe was still stubborn and strongand like my poor old fatherhis flag was faded and tornbut that day we dressed Dad's casketin a warrior's uniformthere's no such thingas an ex-Marineit's semper-fi, do or dieall of their dayswhat they learn...what they dothey've been tried, they stay truein all they facethere's no such thingas an ex-Marine(c)2004 Robert George