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The Tallest Man |
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Just a dot on the map in the landscape of war,
another black bag through another chopper door
resting on the earth one black desert night
subdued by the glow of the Milky Way's light.
Somber and silent... and to honor a friend,
sixty or more soldiers were there at the end
to salute their brother as he slowly passed by
on the way to his hearse, bound for the sky.
He is sure to be missed by his comrades all,
grim, erect and quiet... looking ten-feet tall,
so proud they had served with one of their best,
on his way home now to his final rest.
The war was over for their comrade and bro,
who lifted their spirits in this realm below,
where men are more than just pins on a map
and life is too short to fall prey to war's crap.
A soldier on a stretcher raised his right hand
then placed it on his brow in salute of the man,
in spite of his own wounds, in spite of his pain,
standing taller than any on that desert terrain.
As the chopper grew smaller and disappeared,
they turned for their barracks, their focus steered
on protecting each other and their goal ahead,
to make it back home and remember their dead. |
By Nancy L. Meek
Copyright 2007
Listed April 22, 2010 |
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Author's Note...
This poem was inspired by
photo of a wounded soldier on a stretcher with
fellow soldiers saluting Sgt. Terry Michael Lisk,
who died in Ramadi and the
Multimedia Presentation by Dexter Filkins,
an embedded reporter for The New York Times.
About Author... Nancy is the proud wife of William "Billy" J. Meek, a Vietnam War
Veteran, who served with the 1st Cavalry Airmobile Division, 11th Aviation
Group, 228th Battalion, Co. B.
Nancy's website |
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