Father

Hot lead cut through the bitter October air,
A day when the sun had no glare,
Men in uniform stained with mud,
Covered from head to toe in each others blood,
The stench of death too hard to bear,
Watching the wind blow through the lifeless hair,
At home men and women with hearts at best,
When that ship pulled up, I felt a jolt in my chest,
When covered in bandages, they came off the boat,
I felt a clot form within my throat,
Soldier and women were making love in the street,
I heard the leather boots and the sound of running feet,
Many people saw their fathers and that was fine,
I began to wonder, where was mine?
I walked home, not to worry about the rest,
When I got home I saw my mother crying with a folded flag on the desk,
I ran up stairs and wiped the tears from my eyes,
I walked over to my desk and to my surprise,
A cream colored letter next to the vase,
I began to cry and wiped the tears from my face,
The letter was wet, fresh from ink,
I opened it up and my heart began to sink,
My father was dead, that was true,
I began to read the letter and with things I never knew.

My father was tough, smart, and brave,
He had a platoon soldiers he had to save,
I continued on as tears filled my eyes,
I began to have flash backs of my father's final good byes,
The enemy had surrounded him by air, sea, and land,
This is what gave my father his last stand,
He commanded his men to run and never looked back,
So the men ran, head over sack,
He held the rifle close to his chest,
Prepared to take on this unwelcome guest,
Gripping it hard, his knuckles turned white,
He tried not to cry with all his might,
So with his last breath, he let out a yell,
A few seconds later four bodies fell,
One shot, two shot, three shot, no more,
This had ended the blood and gore.

My father earned the bronze star that was meant for him to wear,
But now it sits in a glass box, for people to stare,
Ten years later, I am now a proud Marine,
A sight so amazing, all dressed in green,
I remembered my father's sacrifice and what he had done,
I am proud to say, that I am his son.