ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY

I went to Arlington National Cemetery one April when I was a lad, to make amends I suppose for all the gratitude for sacrifice I’d taught myself to avoid.

I went to Arlington National Cemetery one April when I was a lad, to appease the Gods of War who drop their dictums like an anvil from above.

I went to Arlington National Cemetery one April when I was a lad, to see the ghosts of my forefathers aglow, not knowing how to reconcile them with the anarchy of youth.

I went to Arlington National Cemetery one April when I was a lad, to arch my back and pick an apple from a gnarled and knotted tree that grew there. Its flavor was baffling.