From A Grateful Nation.......... Poem by Jon Ojala

The American Flag, folded in a triangle now, rests on the bureau at home.
A few short hours ago it was draped over her husband's coffin,
in honor of his sacrifice, really their sacrifice.
'From a grateful nation' the Master Sergeant whispered to her
as he reverently handed her the flag.
Her two young sons jumped when the color guard fired their rifles in tribute.
Another young soldier, killed by a homemade roadside bomb in Iraq,
another statistic reported on the nightly news.
But not to her. Or their sons. Or to family and friends.
Alone in her bed that night, she thinks of the words from the song
'the true cost of Freedom lies buried in the ground'.
OhGodOhGodOhGodOhGod she sobs, what do i do now?



© ® 2009 Jon Ojala