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The flags are folded, the guns are stilled,
But a shadow lingers, cold and chilled.
A hero’s welcome, but no parade,
Just a quiet town where memories fade.

22 a day, that’s what they say,
Fighting demons no one can chase away.
The war is over, but it’s never done,
The real battle’s here, and it’s claiming our daughters and sons.

A bottle rattles on the kitchen shelf,
He says, "I’m fine," but he’s lying to himself.
The nights are long, the dreams are loud,
He’s a soldier lost in a civilian crowd.

Who do you call when the silence screams?
When your brothers and sisters are gone, and so are the dreams?

22 a day, that’s what they say,
Fighting demons no one can chase away.
The war is over, but it’s never done,
The real battle’s here, and it’s claiming our daughters and sons.

There’s a name carved in every heart,
A brother, a sister, torn apart.
The war at home, it cuts so deep,
A battlefield where no one sleeps.

Slow, painful