WAR

 WAR

In Kissena Park there is a memorial

For those of Queens

Who died in the Korean War

The history books tell us  

The Korean War lasted from 1950 to 1953

Over one million and a half American males

From the ages of 21 to 29

Were drafted into the military 

In the front  of the memorial

There is a soldier in full battle gear

Holding a rifle marching on

In the back 

A  plaque with four columns of names 

Names of young men who did not return home alive

How strange it must have been for them

Leaving the neighborhoods they grew up in

Transported to a distant place

Caught up in a dispute many of them knew nothing about

They sometimes refer to the Korean War

As the "Forgotten War"

Certainly the families 

Of the 172 young men from Queens listed on the plaque 

Would not agree