Rena May Hough

MY OWN

There is no excuse
There is no reason
There is no more saying
“I did not know them!”
There is only ignorance, mine

No more will I read
a name etched in gold
upon a plague in memorial hall
Think of them, as faceless men
who fought in distant wars.

With a simple question
it has been revealed
my blood was spilled
my bones buried
on battlefields of distant wars

There is no excuse
There is no reason
There is no more saying
“I did not know them!”
There is only forgiveness, mine

I know your names; I’ve seen your pictures
those of you who fought in distant wars
I acknowledge you, my blood and bone.
May you be blessed, upon the fields
and in the halls of peace, of the great beyond.