Still Serving
There were fanfares and bandsthe day you left townand kisses and hugsand marching.Ladies waved flags andpinned flowers to their hatsand cried in their hankieswith pride. There were little girls smilingand boys following the bandThere were girls pressing notes in your handsThere were men standing wishingtheir age would allow themto join you in some foreign land. There were fathers so frightenedbut having to hide itand mothers with tears in their eyesbut for you there was prideas you marched side by sideand no thought for the terror ahead. And after you fought throughthe mud and the bloodand reality hit home at lastyou lied to your mothersand thanked God it was otherswho bought it and fell to the ground. After the war, the land scorched and rawthrew up its tribute to youFor every blood dropA poppy grew upand hid the place where you fell. Fragile and proud and a symbolof men lost in the madness of war;who lie in the ground,still young and still proudand still, forever serving.