The Could Have Beens

Today’s a day to think of the could have beens. When a soldier dies or is maimed, whether in mind or body, they leave behind a tangled web of could have beens. Like balls of yarn that the cat got into, they were meant for something better but now they’re collected and trashed.

The soldier, the soldier’s children and their children. Those are ones you’ll never see.

And the ones you can see, they carry on, with holes inside. Some things can never be put right. What could have been.

Look at the veterans in your life, and ask yourself what would have happened if they’d never come back.

So hoist a flag, place a wreath, cut your lawn and drink a beer and think of all the could have beens.

• GK 2023