Veterans Day Gratiku

WKBN.com

The City's Oldest Known Survivor of the Great War

by James Doyle

marches in uniform down the traffic stripe 

at the center of the street, counts time

to the unseen web that has rearranged

the air around him, his left hand

stiff as a leather strap along his side,

the other saluting right through the decades 

as if they weren't there, as if everyone under ninety 

were pervasive fog the morning would dispel

in its own good time, as if the high school band

all flapping thighs and cuffs behind him

were as ghostly as the tumbleweed on every road 

dead-ended in the present, all the ancient infantry 

shoulder right, through a skein of bone, presenting arms 

across the drift, nothing but empty graves now

to round off another century, 

the sweet honey of the old cadence, the streets 

going by at attention, the banners glistening with dew, 

the wives and children blowing kisses.

Remembering Living Veterans

We wave to hometown heroes going 

past us on streets by 

the park. We stand at

full attention,

filled with pride as the

veterans hold banners 

of red, white, and blue.Their glistening

smiles shine with

hope full of morning dew.

©CV, 2020

Using the highlighted line in the above poem as a strike line, I created a golden shovel poem honoring living veterans of WWII, in particular, the one remaining living veteran in my family, my Uncle John Mosca. As a very young man at the beginning of WWII, he enlisted in the Marine Corp. He returned home after the war, proud of his achievement but keeping stories of his duty as a private matter. Today, I pause to honor his service to America with hopes that he will hear my phone call wishing him a Happy Veterans Day.   

"The willingness of America's veterans to sacrifice for our country has earned them our lasting gratitude." - Jeff Miller

a silent flag

waving on a dim fall day

hope for America

©CV, 2020

November is #GratitudeMonth. 

Be grateful for those who fought for our country and freedom.