Submitted by: Robert Sandoval

Category: Poetry

On a sunny Saturday after cleaning the yard.
I traveled to the dump for a load to discard;

While unloading the truck in a hurried manner,
My eyes were averted by a crimson banner;

As I walked towards this pile of vile debris,
A feeling of heartache swept over me;

Crumpled and torn in this unworthy grave,
Our symbol of freedom lay unable to wave;

The people around worked at a feverish pace,
Ignoring this symbol of beauty and grace;

How ignorant and callous some people can be,
To a country that gave them the right to be free;

I thought to myself what's happened to us,
Is this what the absence of conscious does;

What does one see when they look at our flag,
The millions who've died, or a red, white and blue rag;

I gathered the flag and headed for home,
For a dignified end to the life it had shone.

About the author:

LCDR USCG (retired)