Blood drips red from the wounded vest

Bullets richochet by and time slows down

The air thickens as breath escapes his chest

The senses grow weary with every sound

The eyes of his friend swell up with fear

Though calmness warms his inner soul

A picture of his newborn child brings a tear

He knows his legacy will not be untold.

On the other side of the battlefield

A soldier deals with her new identity

She’s coping with a wound yet revealed

An IED took the legs from her serenity

The enemy hides from war in plain sight

Rebels seeking to avenge their own war

Cowards hoping to take away a soldier's fight

 Unaware; how strong the bonds truly are

The wisdom to fight comes from the pundits

 Fighting a war they’re really not suppose to win

Holding fire while judgment comes from the pulpit

bullets fly while the soldiers await orders again

Caskets arrive draped in our Nation's colors

Hospitals fill with wounds of body and soul

A day of remembrance, for our sons and daughters

A salute as the flag flies high up on the pole

One final gesture as he welcomes in his fate

Whispers to a brother with his last breath of life

Hands him a picture to bring back to the states

Says, “Tell my son I fought a good fight”

A moment of silence for a life altered

A soldier and his story that everyone should know

A soldier and her mission that never faltered

A memory for two of our American Heroes

©Joseph H Clementi