Elegy at Dusk

Sunset fades slowly from the sky. Massive blocks of polished stone list the nation's slain. "The Wall" looms stark and grim. An apologetic monument to men who died; in vain? Who were you till you left your home and how'd you come to fall? Were you thinking of loved ones, when a bullet found your heart? Were the " high ideals" of ambitious politicians understood? Did you die in the stinking jungle mud? Dead men's names, knifed in stone. Husband, father, brother, son. Bitter pride chokes family and survivors. Warped honor paid by the conscience of America. From the shadows wafts a plaintive bugle call. Tribute to the victims of a tragic war. A forlorn wail of grief tugged from lost and lonely souls. Day is done. Gone the sun. Rest in peace.