| Among the Tombstones |  |
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He stands among the tombstones with a bugle in his hand,
And soon now he will play the saddest tune in all the land.
The notes are played each night for troops; "Lights out! Its
time for bed!"
But this time it's to honor one who served,
but now is dead.
The family sits beside his box, to hear
some final words.
The honor guard stands ready, then their
rifle shots are heard.
Then from the buglers lips and horn
the notes begin to flow,
The sad and lonely melody that
everybody knows.
A Navy swab from World War Two, who
fought against Japan?
A zoomie who was shot out of the sky in
Vietnam?
A jarhead with Somali shrapnel in his legs and back?
An Army MP killed while foot-patrolling in Iraq?
It makes
no difference what they were or even where they served,
They'll never be respected or get all that they deserve.
The
coffin-shrouding flag is folded by the open grave,
But honors
aren't complete until that wrenching tune is played.
A
bandeau of mournful notes, that can break your heart in two,
Conceived by Gen'ral Butterfield in 1862.
Brigade bugler
Oliver Norton, played it that July,
Then Rebs and Yanks both
picked it up, to honor men who died.
All thru the years
of war and peace, around this great big globe,
Those
twenty-four notes, played each night, give comfort to the soul.
And as a final tribute to someone who gave his life,
It gives
those left behind a final chance to say goodbye.
Go to
sleep,
Peaceful sleep,
May the soldier, the sailor God
keep,
On the land,
Or the deep,
Safe in sleep. | By Ken B. Harper
Copyright 2011
Listed July 13, 2011 |
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