Eight years ago, October 12, 2000 a United States battleship was attacked.  Seventeen sailors died and over three dozen more were injured.  This attack, orchestrated by the terrorist group al Qaeda, was a precursor to the terror attacks that happened on September 11, as it was only 11 months later when al Qaeda struck again. 

 

What you will see below is something specifically written for one by one, but can easily be interpreted for any of those who have recently lost a loved one in the current military operations our country is taking part in.  Just as it’s titled Eight Long Years the number is replaceable, for any amount of time is long enough.

 

Not for nothin’, but Emily Dickinson wrote it best, “Parting is all we know of heaven, and all we need of hell”

 

Eight Long Years

Jason Gunn

 

  

It’s been eight long years, and I wonder is there any change

I still feel much of the same heartache, struggle, and pain

It’s hard to explain to people what it means and how I feel

You can’t tell it to those who don’t know, but it’s real

We used to talk, laugh, joke through the years

Now those days seem to have faded away with the tears

I thought you’d be here forever, no one should leave that early

But now you live on in dreams and feelings I hold so dearly

Will never get to embrace you or talk to you again

Maybe God has a plan that we’ve already been placed in

Well he couldn’t have planned for you to go out like that

Snuffed out by people of another God, one you never met

This has got me wondering why all the good guys die

Why families gotta suffer, and why mothers gotta cry

Why politicians gotta lie cause they don’t wanna avenge this

Tell your people you love them, because it could be hit or miss

The boys were right, you can’t say bye to what we had

You can only take this time to look back and be glad

Hold on to those thoughts and memories of the past

It’s been eight long years, maybe this year will be better than the last.