Memorial Day Memories 2011 Poem by Lewis Eron

So today we remember
Our youth, our dreams, and our hopes
Sunny days, warm breezes, picnics, ball games
The sea shore, the mountains, the woods, the lakes
And those who shared our joy
Before they marched away
Far away
To places off our mental maps
To places found on the other side of our globes
And in the back part of our atlas
The big book on the coffee table
We rarely open.

They marched off beyond the sea
To distant mountains
To far off forests, lakes and plains
To keep us safe
To fight our foes
To protect our lives, our dreams, our hopes
Our sunny days, warm breezes, picnics, ball games and such
Before they came home
Some whole, some wounded, some dead.

So today we remember
Their youth, their dreams, their hopes
Their sunny days, their warm breezes, picnics, ball games
Their love of our seashore, our mountains, our woods, our lakes
And the joy they brought us
The love we shared
The life we envisioned
Before they marched away
Far away
To rest in forever
In the uncharted regions of our hearts.

Today we remember
And find blessings in the memories.