I Remember

I Remember

I hear the voices,
Carried by the soft breeze,
Across green meadows,
Through denuded trees,
Forests that have witnessed,
The passing of men,
Burdened by war equipment,
Orders given, direction taken.

Thoughts of home,
Family, friends and lovers,
Shivers, not of fear,
Of cold, damp, motionless air,
The sounds of distant actions,
Machine against machine,
Man against man.

They knew where life began,
They knew where life might end,
Explosions everywhere,
Vibrations of air and land,
Unnatural sounds, then darkness.

I hear the voices
Carried by the soft breeze
“I love you, I love you”
Sounds never heard,
By family, friends and lovers.

I hear the voices,
Of fallen comrades,
Days and years have passed,
But memories linger on.

I walk the meadows,
Among the flowers,
Between the markers,
I think of unforgiving times,
The loss of fallen brothers.

I hear the voices.

I remember.

© 2006 by Lou Reeves