Arlington

A tribute to veterans

Mere silence holds this solemn ground,

   And twilight shades the marble tomb

That keeps the watch throughout the night,

   And defends them all from torment now.

 

We listen for their stories here,

   And celebrate what bravery did

When vengeance loosed the dogs of war,

   And cannons turned the night to day.

 

These once held in someone’s love

   Now lie beyond this winter’s touch,

As snowflakes fall to mark all graves,

   And lay a crown upon their crypt.

 

But nothing halts the paces there

   That always count to twenty-one,

And pass each time before their tomb,

               To guard the ones known but to God.

Reviews

[Tiffany Kelley]

"Mere silence holds this solemn ground,
And twilight shades the marble tomb"

You captured me at the first two lines.

[Sami Khalil]

I agree dear poet. A great tribute .
I like the most:
celebrate what bravery did

[Marie]

A beautiful tribute. Not many people know how to do blank verse.