In Service To The Country

The maple leaf soared,

Red on white

Against the horizon

While the plane glided in,

Landed, wheels out,

On the blacktop,

Cutting grooves in the snow,

And I wiped my frozen tears away.

**********

The words still rang,

Soft in the snow –

“The Chief of the Defence Staff

Has entrusted me

To express his deep regret” –

And my heart rang too

With my own stark regret,

My tears flung to the ground below.

**********

The casket glided by,

Carried by hands

That knew the pain of loss

So well; so young,

So unforgivably tragic,

Yet they carried your

Wooden box with pride,

And their tears within.

**********

And I stood watching,

In my black suit and salute,

Wearing them like the armor

I had always hoped would save you;

But nothing ever saved you,

Not me, not them,

And the tears I’d held inside me

Fell open on the floor.

**********

Author's Note: I wrote this story as a contest entry for the Poppy's Prompts #11 challenge. I hope you enjoyed the read. I'd love to hear what you think, so please feel free to leave a comment, click the heart, and subscribe!