Gardens of Stone

Gardens of Stone

Where have you been? What have you been up to today?
Doing anything special? See any of your friends since you came back?
Sure been quiet, withdrawn. Anything wrong? Anything on your mind?
You know all I want to do is help. Just tell me what’s on your mind.

Sorry, I don’t mean to cause you concerns. Don’t worry ‘bout me.
I’ve been to see and talk to some friends I never met,
In the Gardens of Stone, where quiet breezes blow,
Where passers-by are few, conversations are soft,
Where dreams are all but forgotten, and lives are forever changed.

We passed tales of live and love, of tears and plans,
Sharing dreams and hopes which others can’t understand,
Common ground we shared, as our senior trip began,
A thousand miles from no where, a hell of a place to go,
Feeling fear in your night, reaching for dreams of her and home.

So distant the place, so removed in time, yet still they call,
So deep these feelings, so faint the reasons, so forgotten,
No longer in the nightly news, no sensationalism for the vultures,
No longer remembered their deeds of heroism, their manly virtues,
Their youthful innocence erased for a lifetime, granite cold.

Enter not this realm of thought which you cannot possess,
Come not with us, for you must justify why we sleep alone,
Trouble us not with your sympathy, we want it not,
Our youth was spent in jungle mires, serving birds of prey,
Let us sleep in our Gardens of Stone with dignity and honor,

We answered our Nations call so you might continue as before,
We paid this toll for those with lesser spirit, lesser love,
Love of Freedom, Love of Life, Love of Duty, Love of Peace,
Allow us this honored repose, with the faithful we sleep,
In our Gardens of Stone you softly hear - Duty, Honor, Country.

DLS - 08/02/1991