A guard of one at each corner
She was in a wheelchair
Accepting condolences
After the priest had gone
She asked for her walker
And braved the foot high step
Her courage lifted my eyes
So I could see her true
"Adios, mi amor."
That is what she said
With infinite pain
In a finite life
Her voice boomed
Though it was a choked whisper
I cried.
When I met the son,
When I kissed the wife,
When the flag was presented to them
Back in her wheelchair, she took it
The summation of a man
Honorable beyond rank
Loving beyond family
He is now a memory
And a flag in her wrinkled hands
People use the word "lovebirds"
in jest and scold
They forget the last chapter
When a lovebird dies,
Its partner dies of sadness
True love, true grief
She is not long for this world
And I still envy her
