Flowers and Stone

Line upon line, aisle upon aisle '
The crosses look at me and say 'Remember'
I look to a patchy grey sky, and I can still hear it
The sounds of the men as they walked, ran, and bled

I can hear 'Mommy' and I can hear 'Daddy'
I can see young boys who clutched to their rifles
Like they were Bibles and bullets salvation
With no idea who their true enemy is

They only see what has been done
They see the fire, the smoke, the see the long towers of brick
They see the chicken wire and the skinny men who have not had anything to eat
But even amongst all these horrors they still marched

Line upon line aisle upon aisle
They knew that they marched to their death, and they were better for it
The time of heroes has never truly left, but may have been nothing more than a silent murmur now
Our children looking to the walls, and still not understanding

It goes beyond flags and it goes beyond patriots
It goes beyond tyranny and it goes beyond evil
It goes beyond madness and it goes beyond sanity
It goes beyond race and it goes beyond gender

It is blood, painted scarlet upon the tapestry of the world
In the jungles and deserts, in the streets and in the countrysides
In every corner of the world, a stone cross stands and says 'Remember'
It is upon our own hands, like fingerpaint, dripping to the ground

But, we must remember lest these crosses forget
These long paths in the gardens of stone, and the millions of names that we do not know
When you see a cross, never idly pass by, for it will say 'Remember'
Let your response be 'I have never forgotten'