Into The Eyes Of The Past

We dedicate a day
To honour
Those no longer with us
Whom lost their lives
To save ours
Paying the ultimate sacrifice
We call this special occasion…
Memorial Day

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Human blood
Scattered upon a battle field
DNA of soldiers killed while serving their country 
The screams of someone at death’s door
Still echo through the valley
Their bones laid deep within the earth
Branded with the marks of conflict
Each mark
Bears a story
Of bravery
Courage
Strength
And pain
Most importantly
The story of a hero
Our hero

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No words can be formed
That will even begin to describe 
The degree of gratitude that I feel
For everyone whom put their life on the line
To keep innocent people out of harms way

Hot tears of understanding stream down my face
As I look back in time
Into the lives of families
That had loved ones serve 
All the emotions that they felt
Overwhelm me

The day of departure
Consisted of suffocating hugs
Frantic kisses 
And tears of fear
Soldiers assuring family of there safe return
Little did they know 
Safety was merely a dream
An unrealistic hope
Dangled far out of reach
For that was the last day
They would ever see the faces
Of their family

******

Death observed none to quietly from the shadows
Stalking his prey
Prepared to spring into action
Sending constant reminders 
That he was in change
Taking different shapes 
Depending on the victim 
Always coming unexpectedly
While in the heat of war
Taking the shape of bullets,
Bombs, knives, and other weapons
Sometimes appearing as one of our own

*******
On Memorial Day
We take the time
To watch history unfold
In someone else’s eyes

Husbands, wives, brothers and sisters
Morning the loss of a loved one
Setting the table for dinner
A plate and cup for each chair
Yet one plate remains untouched throughout the meal
One chair remains empty
One voice left unheard
A family
Forever broken

There’s more people whom need our attention
Those that fought in war
And made it home alive
That may seem like a done deal
But its not
Some are so heavily impacted 
They wish never to come home at all
For they witnessed first hand the brutality
Of war
Comrades and strangers dying left and right
Dropping like flies
Sweat mixing with the smell of blood and death
Running, shooting, fighting
Trying their best to live
Doing all in their power to save others
Sometimes succeeding
Sometimes failing
Accidents occurred 
Shooting a friend who looked like the enemy
They suffer from the scenes 
That still haunt their dreams
Penetrating their memories
With things best forgotten
My heart reaches out to everyone that falls under this category 

******
So to me
Memorial Day is not just about honoring those no longer here
But seeing the past in a new perspective
About respecting and understanding 
Everyone who was affected by war

So to everyone out there
Happy Memorial Day
God Bless