May 27, 2013
I Visited The Grave of Marine Michael D. Glover
Memorial Day 2013 standing on Michael’s grave
A petite Irish-American lady got out of her car said,
“Were you his friend?”
“Did you know him?”
No, I said,
I am the poet who wrote a poem and placed it on his grave,
“Reflections on a Purple Heart”
“What a handsome boy he was” she said
“He was such a good-looking boy, well-traveled, well loved, well educated”
She told the story how the military held his body for ten days
His face wrapped in white cloth like a mummy
How the casket had to be closed
What does one say to a mother standing on her son’s grave?
Tears rolled down her face
What can one say to a mother who lost a child?
I thought I would cry
I thought my knees would cave in
I felt my heart ripping
I felt a heavy lump like a rock between my heart and my throat
What does one say to a mother standing on her son’s grave?
I lowered my head, saluted, ran my fingers across his name, said goodbye
“Thank you” she said, “for remembering”
I saw her drive away
How many more mothers must lose a child?
What does one say to a mother who lost a child?
by Vincent J. Tomeo
*Published in Grand Mother Earth: XX, 2014
*Winner of Best Overall Free Verse in United Poets Laureate International