Memorial Day for a Friend

What is a dead soldier?

He is a brother, a lifelong friend, from childhood til manhood.

What was he when he was a living scholar?

He was curious, humorous, and searched for the good,

What made his loss a loss to us all?

Everyone had a story unique to them about him,

Everyone had an attachment to him; without him,

We were not us ‘cause he was the plus,

The person that lit up your eyes on sight,

The boy who was the fastest among boys,

The teenager who spanned the height of a man,

The student from a place where critical thought could get you shot,

Where upward mobility was climbing the cliff of have-nots,

Though scholarships he got,

Through prestigious schools he walked,

His loyalties could not be bought,

His choice to serve was for a higher calling he sought,

Though I disagreed with the war,

I always respected you at your core,

And those who judged the fatigues that you wore,

Their eyes just looked at the floor,

While you made plans to teach kids upon your return from the war,

But it was never to be,

Two months out from your return to the B,

I returned from the East,

And froze when I was told you were deceased,