This morning I woke up
Easing out into the feather-fingered cold
November air paintbrushing against my skin
Icy pointillism
Dotting across freckled arms
My feet hit the floor
Toes tasting the tendrils of heat
That silently pummeled away at the frigid leaks
Lying in wait
This morning I stood and looked out my window
Even the darkness was still in bed
Tousled hair now covered in a thin sheen of white.
I woke up this morning
Free
Free and alive
Free and grateful
This morning my feet touched wooden floor
As combat boots
Abroad
Marched through sun-cooked sand
And up scorched hills in lands where outward
cold and heat
Co-mingle with icy resolve
And molten courage
In the inimitable language that
Echoes in the actions of our soldiers
This morning I slid a finger between blinds
Glancing casually out onto a snow-sprinkled yard
Chalky white powder
Frosting a backyard thick with crystals
As lion’s eyes
Elsewhere
Stare from beneath world-painted helmets
Sizing and reacting
Pupils undilated by the gravity of the moment.
Those eyes
The eyes of men and women
Heroes all
That lock with danger in unblinking fortitude
And speak the whispers of forefathers
With actions through tumult
On a day purchased for me
By the blood that stains our very flag Red
I woke up this morning with gratitude
For those who lace up and strap on
Stand up and step forward
That oath-holding few with broad shoulders
And volcanic hearts
That battle still to allow me life
To give me liberty
And to allow me to pursue my happiness
That I hold so dear when I wrap my arms around
Son and wife
I woke up thankful above all
I woke up proud
And humbled
And hopeful
That those who serve us
Those talons of the eagle
Will continue to believe that the first two letters
Of USA
Is truly “US”
And that we may not be at their side
Making that ultimate
Bold
Astonishing
Declaration that they have
But that they are never far from the heart of the people
They give to so freely
Today we give thanks
Today as with all days
Let us bow and salute and applaud
Let us find silence
And let that silence echo in the canyons of our hearts
As we remember all who have given, all who give still
And all those fearless warriors who have yet to give.
(*Author’s note: To all who have served, continue to serve, or will someday serve our great nation: Thank You. From the bottom of my Red, White, and Blue-beating heart. . .thank you. Stand today, so we may give you thanks.)
FIN
