The Hiker stands yet, in the city of no illusions.
A plaque reads Las Guasimas and Santiago,
Guam and Wake, and Guantanamo.
He looks upon his brothers, of an earlier war..

Their plaque reads Antietam and Fredricksburg,
Chancellorsville and The Wilderness,
and Gettysburg.

Though no plaques exist, the Hiker knows of
Ia Drang and Hue and the Phu-to racetrack..

On CNN the hiker watches
Tahrir, Khandahar and Abbottabad and nods..

But he has no answer for the Spartans
who ask why boats still sail
from Guantanamo and Tripoli
and blood stains Tiananmen.

Down the street a young Puerto Rican dodges stones
thrown by a gang of young blacks.. whom he 'dissed'.
in the city of no illusions.

And the Hiker wonders what the terrain will be like
on Mars..

Note: The HIker was a widely-erected statue after
the Spanish-American War of 1898.
Buffalo NY is sometimes called 'The City of No Illusions'