Never Forget

I once saw a child standing under the flag He asked why it hung there half-way I thought it’d be easy to say what it meant But couldn’t find right words to say I wasn’t too sure that he would understand My talk about war and on death So I tried to find words that I thought he could grasp So I paused and then took a deep breath Before I could speak he then shot up his hand And shouted “I know what it’s for!” “They did the same thing after my dad had died Because he was killed in the war” He continued to say “now my dad is in heaven And that’s why the flag’s raised half-way” “To let my dad know and all soldiers who died We’ll remember them always today” He stopped and stared at me-I looked in his eyes He suddenly lowered his head Tears ran down his cheeks and then he took my hands And wiped them away and then said “It makes me feel sad-just seeing the flag I know that it means someone died” I then felt my tears-that couldn’t hold back I picked him up and we both cried On memorial days when the flag is half-raised I remember that kid that I met Now that I’m a dad I will make sure my son Understands so he’ll never forget