Ramp Ceremony

 

All arrive, in staggered droves

Like a herd they mull around in the dark

Whispers and shuffles of desert boots

Broken pieces of a life story

Overheard here and there

 

A sonorous sound of turbo props arrive

A rush of hot wind and kerosene

The ramp is lowered

Hydraulic actuators whining in lamentation

Only giving way to the ramp’s epitaph

A single and final metallic thud

The tarmac and ramp are joined

 

Shadows quietly form a path to the plane

Over bowed helmets the flags lower

A whispered order

Present Arms

Crisp Salutes rendered for the dead

 

The casket swathed in the American Flag

Arms strain, faces grieve

Comrades carry their dead in silence

Broken only by quiet crying

 

Somewhere belongings are in a box

Family pictures, going away presents

Cards and letters wishes of safety

Prayers for their safe return