Honor Guard

Entry for Fall Contest of Legerdemain

Line up dear friends
Beneath the stone
That marks your final rest

The blood and pain
You did endure
Provided you your test

Your marker white
Or shadowed gray
Stands still upon this field

A soldier still
With honor rest
They know you did not yield

Line up dear friends
As ages pass
Engravings wear away,

With vibrant reds
His trees will show
Your courage on display

Each autumn comes
And comes agains
Till time itself shall end

Reminding all
With root-drawn proof
Your courage did not bend