A Little Hill In Arlington

A Little Hill in Arlington

There’s a little hill in Arlington
Where no bodies are interred
Yet crosses dot the hillside
And Taps are sometimes heard

Unlike the Unknown Soldier
With “unknowns” in the ground
This little hill in Arlington
Is for soldiers never found

I grew up without a father
He was gone when I was four
Flying for the Air Force
Back in the Korean War

His plane was ore’ the Azores
When communications ceased
The search went on for days and days
They never found a piece

My mother raised four children
Each day she learned to cope
She said until a body’s found
We’d never give up hope
The years went by just waiting
And my mother, bless her soul
Held on until her very end
To a grieving widow’s role

For fifty years we children
Had no resting place for Dad
No gravesite and no marker
No closure ever had

Then on little hill in Arlington
Where no bodies are interred
We raised a simple white cross
Dad’s Taps were finally heard

My big sister got the folded flag
And we all shed the tears
That had been bottled up inside us
For all those fifty years

Now Dad, he has a resting place
With other fallen sons
On a quiet little hillside
Right here in Arlington
Copyright © | Year Posted 2011

Poem

Post Comments

Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.

Please Login to post a comment

Buck Avatar
July 15, 2015 at 4:06 PM
Mike: I should have mentioned: My mom is buried on a hill outside Arlington. Taylorsville Cemetery, Arlington, Ia. oldbuck
Dailey Avatar
July 15, 2015 at 4:06 PM
Thanks for dropping in and reading a few of my poems. That one is special to me and to my sisters. I am working on a real long one based on letters my father wrote to my mom while they were both stationed in the South Pacific during WW II. I have a published book of military related poems as well. Mike
Buck Avatar
July 15, 2015 at 4:03 PM
Well done Mike: I lost my dad at age 6 shortly after he had returned from WWII. He was doing stunts with his little piper cub and . . . . . stuff happens. You can be proud your dad dead protecting all of us. Mine died showing off. Thanks for sharing this precious piece with us. oldbuck
Eastman Avatar
December 16, 2012 at 12:41 PM
Beautiful tribute to your father. Wonderful to have a piece of your life shared... Sorry for your loss.
Lamoureux Avatar
December 15, 2012 at 6:21 PM
What an absolute Gem. So sorry for your loss, some things are felt accross decades, I'm sure this helped finally provide some closure. I have never heard of this place, what a wonderful tribute to those who are lost. I would suggest you send this Poem to Arlington so that it can be sent to other families. This is a beautiful Poem.
A   Avatar
December 14, 2012 at 5:40 PM
Mike,, Congratulation, with your featured poem of the week, have yourself a great day inspired by "YOU!" wishing you the best holidays 2 come ;-) always ~PD
Dailey Avatar
December 15, 2012 at 7:15 AM
It was a surprise to see it as a featured poem. Glad you liked it. I have several others devoted to my dad who I never did know as he as gone soon after my 3rd birthday.
Roske Avatar
December 13, 2012 at 2:43 PM
A beautiful tribute to your Dad - I had a teacher who lost her husband over Laos and was never found.. this brought back memories of when that happened.
Dailey Avatar
December 15, 2012 at 7:16 AM
Thank you for your comments. Sometimes MIA is harder to take not knowing what happened. I don't know how my mother got through it.
Flach Avatar
May 18, 2011 at 1:43 PM
Mike - you have touched me with your 3 poems remembering your father and other fallen soldiers. You have a talent for poetry - the kind I like to read anyway. Others here do it differently and I have a tough time reading them. Now I must go and read others of your work and hope to find some that make me smile instead of cry. Joe
Dailey Avatar
May 19, 2011 at 5:56 AM
Joe, I am an old school poet. It it doesn't have rhythm and rhyme, it just isn't poetry to me. I know that is a very narrow definition but it is the one I like. You have a lot of poems in this category and I like your style.
Get a Premium Membership
Turn off ads, get more exposure for your poetry, and get more features with a Premium Membership.
Book: Diverse Voices: The Poetry of Human Rights and the Pursuit of Peace