Let Us Not Forget Them
centuries of veterans
march through the morning mist—
remember them
Old Glory
briskly tops out the mast—
then at half-staff,
our thoughts mourn for lives lost
in battles where foe met foe
though we lay wreathes
and fresh blooms, they too perish—
the rivers flow on
is there no end
to bloodshed in killing fields?
the Buglers play taps . . .
John Daleiden is retired from 43 years of teaching Language Arts in Iowa Public Schools. He now lives in Phoenix, Arizona. He currently serves on the Editorial Board and Submissions Manager of Four Chambers: The Heart of Literature in Phoenix, Arizona (www.fourchamberspress.com) From 2006-2012, he was an editor and webmaster of Sketchbook: A Journal for Eastern and Western Short Forms.
Silent beauty; the kind of poem that captures your heart and captivates your mind. I really enjoyed this, John. Thank you for sharing and continued blessings!
ReplyDelete-MJ (www.tgbtgpublictions.com)
Enjoyed your poem, John. It is important that war veterans are remembered. Will wars ever end? They might once greed, racism and hatred are eliminated. In the meantime, let the bugle play...// paul
ReplyDeleteBrilliantly written. I felt the honor to those fallen heroes within our forces. You expressed your dedication to them wonderfully. Great work.
ReplyDeleteJohn,
ReplyDeleteThough I wish for no more war like Paul, I think is important to remember those who are brave enough to serve, wherever they may be...
Your new friend,
David Fox
Nice work!
ReplyDeleteYour poem made tears form in my eyes John. It is beautifully written. I have attended funerals of young soldiers and it all seems so sad and senseless that in so many centuries we still continue to charge into wars. Aloha, Connie
ReplyDeleteThank you for the gracious comments.
ReplyDelete