And Then the Poppy Fell

At the moment the clocks are turning back

To history, silence and memory.

The earth moves under a dying sun.

I hear the bugle sounds

Coming from the Battle of the Somme where the recognized

Dead remain and then from the Battle of the Bulge where our souls

Encountered enough horror to last a lifetime. Everyone

Was wounded; a sister picking her way through the London

Blitz, a brother walking through Hiroshima measuring

Atomic bits, taking enough into himself for the sake

Of god and country. We are at that time again.

The leaves are falling in front of our eyes as an ordinary

Reckoning. Then poppies, alive at soccer stadiums

And on lapels, a remembrance, a mercy and a sorrow

All contained in our hearts in blessed miniature

Until another singular, beautiful poppy falls

For this man we have known

And loved for a lifetime, remembering his character

Honoring his grace and fortitude

And all he carried within.