Repatriation Poem by gary polonsky

On the Occasion of Six Canadians Killed in a Military Helicopter Crash

Repatriation,
Long word to mark shortened lives,
All a-grief, all, entire nation,
It happens, as when a helicopter dives
Into a sea thousands of miles away,
Why are we there? Why are we even there?
Why must they curse the other's way?
Today we buried six who deigned to care.

Brenden, Kevin, Matthew, Matthew, Maxim,
And Abigail, Natalie's fiddle friend,
All, so much life ahead it seemed
Until the call - suddenly, all dead.
"They also serve who only stand and wait"
But not these six, they actioned to their fate.


Written at Ontario, Canada - 6th May 2020