Images From Within

 

At first I thought I was imagining

As a face peered out from the wall,

Approaching the Korean Memorial,  

Wanting to feast my eyes on all,  

 

Sculptures of soldiers lined the way

Leading to the wall of granite,

The wall reflected eerie images

Of soldiers floating within it.

 

A face of a soldier here, another there

Seemed to appear, then was slowly lost,

Looking into the eyes of the dead, 

Realization of what freedom can cost.

 

Somberly they appeared, one after another,

Some just barely out of their teens,

Not to be forgotten as in wars past,

Duly remembered by all means.

 

A timely jet flying overhead, a tribute

To all who shine forth from that wall,

It’s owed to those who thought it right

For their country to give their all.

 

Twilah – 2003

 

Written after a visit to the Korean Memorial Wall in Washington, DC.