For Them

The beams of light shimmer as they fall onto the rocks The grass bends to touch the memory of one long forgotten Trees in the distance sing with the breeze as angels fly by Whispering leaves pass over the field to make sure everything is all right The silent moan of the lost voices is deafening to open ears Decaying tears fall for the ache of longing for life only six feet away Wives of servants and servants of men…Paid in full In hollow darkness they lie with eternal smiles, though they will never feel the sun again Blood spilt, bodies broken, sons lost, women widowed, they have achieved their goal They sacrificed everything and lost it, only for the gain of the future, with no care of compensation They lie in sleep, void now of all pain. They rest in the endless ocean of white Passing in their cars with thoughtless of whom they disrespect A family comes to a stop and watches an elderly man stand with his hand to his brow With no tears left to give, he grieves with a sigh that only his fallen men can hear. The little girl of the man watching asks, "Daddy, why is he doing that?" The man says with tears gently streaming down his face "Sweetie, he's showing all the soldiers who are buried here respect." "One way or another, you're a martyr… In Arlington…”