I lost my brother to a foreign land;
I was too young to even understand
There was a knock at the front door,
then Momma wasn't smiling anymore.
The man at the door was a Marine;
the first I've ever seen.
Momma told me to go out and play,
then the preacher came
and they started to pray.
Tears ran down Momma's eyes,
and I heard her say, "Why, Lord, Why"?
Father stood there seemingly mindless,
all he said was, "We've lost another of
America's finest."
The Marine handed Momma a small velvet case,
inside was a Purple Ribbon, attached to a
gold heart with Washington's face.
I asked Momma if it were mine,
but she said, "It's your brother's, Sunshine."
"Momma can we send it to Kevin?"
She answered,
"They don't wear Purple Hearts in Heaven."
~Author Unknown~
