We
stand together--yet so far apart,
In
the distance, hear the bugles call,
The
crowd slowly grows, but we are alone,
As
we gaze upon the wall.
Our
world explodes--a scream is heard,
The
bullets snap, a comrade falls,
Then
smoke and smell disappear in a blink,
As
we openly weep at the wall.
We
remember the laughter--and we see the names,
Of
the faces the mind won't recall,
We
were closer than brothers in that far away hell,
Now
all we have is the wall.
An
arm reaches out--seems to weigh a ton,
To
touch a name that's engraved so small,
For
this and the memories are all that's left,
Of
our friends on a granite wall.
So
we stand together--yet so far apart,
In
our minds, still the bugles call,
We
pray for our friends and hope our children,
Never
gaze upon another wall.
Edward
L. Morgan
October,
1997