EPITAPH TAPS
Bereaved family,
Bereaved friends,
Men, Women, Children,
Rifles and Flag,
A forlorn bugler, hence...
Those of Cloth
Deliver God's Words,
Of Valley and Shadow,
Black and Veil,
And TAPS...
Light rain unfelt,
Sunburst unseen,
Hand with Bible shaking,
Eyes glazed,
Serene...
Few minutes to recapitulate
A score of years,
An Obituary,
An Epitaph,
Eyes filled with tears...
Empathize Spouse,
Parent and Child,
Comrades
Few peers,
Faces in the crowd...
Never forget the Patriot,
Lying beneath the shroud,
Of Glorious Stars and Stripes,
Be proud,
Dare not ye speak, those disavowed!
Test not is Hero right,
Justified in cause,
Or dark, be damned,
By passive man,
Serve eternal pause...
For can you know the pain,
Can you touch the sore,
Can you taste the blood,
And hear the silence,
Of the Dead of War?
Hear first the Psalms,
The rifle blasts,
The Praise Be God,
And Hallelujah,
He rests at last...
Feel throats knot,
Silent cries,
Memories passing,
Behind moist eyes;
Vague attempts to realize...
Now disturbing quiet
Permeates the air,
Inaudible speech,
Tis oft somewhere;
Prevail, Despair...
Must that Knight in casket,
Feel the pain and dread,
Of comrades who survived,
Just to be chastised,
And wish they too were dead...
Has Gallant Soldier Fallen;
Ultimately is he whole?
Trust God be Judge; not man,
He has lost this weary life,
But not his immortal soul!
And, TAPS.....
BY JIM GODWIN COPYRIGHT 1991
Submitted by
DON HOLLAND
NCCM USN RET
USASMA CLASS 19
for his friend
who has passed away.
