Memorial

Speak not to us about freedom
and sacrifice, patriotism and the like.
Speak not to us about the final
devotion while you wave the flag.
Not if you care little for the institutions
and the constitution we swore allegiance to.

We are not an abstraction of loss
or a representation of power.
We had dreams and aspirations,
we laughed, we cried, we loved
our families and our friends.
We fought for each other and
cried for each other.

The unfortunate who did not
know instant darkness, cried
out for mom, cried out in pain,
cried out for salvation, not for
glory, or abstract ideas.
Winning and losing didn’t
matter any longer.

Please remember us for who
we were and who our spirits
remain,  as well as our hopes
and dreams  left in the dust
of history, and live for us,
grow old for us, for this
we could not do.  We are
the forever young.

 

 

One thought on “Memorial”

  1. Thanks for sharing Mike. A beautiful & humble reminder that there but for the grace of god/fate go we.

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