Taps begin.

Taps begin.
Time adds little perspective.

Death in a hostile place, a time not chosen.
Cities hard to pronounce; countries hard to find.
Cause, clarity clouded, confused; hard to recall.

Taps begin.

Time dulls memory. 
Pace pushes people on.
Space vacated, empty, gone.
Place dissolves, no trace; so it seems.

Taps begin.
Time stands still; this I remember. 
Their laughter, their scent.
First smile, first step, first word, first love.
A Friday night; life was simple.
The future, a certain dream, bullet proof; not.

Taps begin.

Time release; tears flow freely.
Pride in lives well lived.
Grieving for lives given; invested and gone.
The loss, the pain; broken plans, broken hearts; shattered.

Taps begin.

Now it is time; whisper their names.
Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen.
Duty, honor, country; their last full measure.
No greater love, their sacrifice.

In peace, now rest.
Forget not, ever.