Reflections On A Purple Heart

On the grave of a soldier I saw 
a golden medallion gleam in the light
like lightning in a storm           
resting on a ledge of a gray tombstone
Bravo, 1/25 4 Marine Division,
Iraqi Freedom ‘06
LCPL Michael D. Glover,
United States Marine Corp
January 19, 1978-August 16, 2006
A rock holds down his Marine patch
A Purple Heart placed on his monument bakes in the hot sun
and I stopped to say Thank You
 
by Vincent J. Tomeo
 
*Published in Rockhurst Review, 21st Edition, Spring 2008, Rockhurst University
*Published in Grand Mother Earth: XIX, 2012