Shadows: Family Stories

Please bury me where soldiers lie,
in earth that’s rich and warm,
where veterans guard the distant sky
through wind and rain and storm.

For I was once a soldier too,
so young and filled with pride.
I grasped the torch of war and drew
my strength from those who’d died.

For God and flag we went abroad,
the Yankee was the stranger.
We met the cruel and deadly horde,
and faced the guns of danger.

We bore the heat, the blood and tears,
endured the shot and shell.
We carefully concealed our fears,
and plumbed the depths of hell.

When at last our time was done,
we left the land of fire,
changed forever having known
the bones upon the pyre.

Wiser, stronger, sadder men,
no gratitude we knew.
We felt unloved, but gladly then,
the good Lord sent me you.

And soon came children of our own,
through sickness and in health.
What they’ve become and how they’ve grown
means more to me than wealth.

My comrades met the final call,
the years have whispered by,
their names upon a marble wall,
now soldiers of the sky.

And when it’s time for me to rest,
my duty here well done,
please let me lie among the best,
their battles fought and won.

Find for me a sacred garden
sown with boots and caps,
where none within have need for pardon,
and buglers still play “Taps”.

Names and faces matter not,
nor heritage, not color.
We’ll share the honor of our lot,
our strength and deeds of valor.

If I should come to God’s right hand,
perhaps He’ll pause to tell
why He permitted me to stand
while those around me fell.

I’ll be with you as I am now,
no man could ask for more,
eternal love my silent vow,
the guardian at your door.

And so, my love, we’ll meet again,
of that you can be certain.
Perhaps you’ll lie beside me then,
when God brings down the curtain.

For on that day we’ll be together
as bright flags snap nearby.
We’ll rest in peace, protected ever
by the Soldiers of the Sky.

– James A. Oliveri
Copyright 2004