I see you walking,
Stooped and slow;
Your body now a fragile shell
Of your former self.
The garden of red poppies,
Waving in the gentle breeze,
Reminds me
To look beyond your aging shell.
To see
The You who used to be.
The You who fought to find the sun
When the dark rain of bullets
And hate
Pelted our world.
You were strong.
You gave a part of your life,
Of yourself,
In the mud and the blood
Of a drowning world.
Friends were lost
And medals were won.
A part of yourself gone,
Given to save the future.
Now, your step is faltering,
Your vision blurred;
But we remember You.
The You whose muscles were strong,
Whose step, determined.
The You who marched with a vision
To bring us to our future.
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