HE REQUESTED THE MODERN
WORLD AT PEACE
I tried to reach the unreachable star
but somewhere in the stardust
that reached the ground
I looked all around
in that scattered gold
and a hand reached out for mine
as a quiet voice said,
"I am not departed from you.
Only if you want me to be.
Remember
that it's sometimes the living that forget
that I talked with you,
I laughed with you,
I was just as human as you.
But please pin not
a purple heart on me;
I don't want to be
just another unknown soldier."
Suddenly I was alone again,
but not for long.
For love was in that handclasp,
peace was in that voice,
and greatness was in that stardust.
Let us hope He did not just make footsteps
on the sands of time.
He left me a heritage
I shall always find hard to live up to.
Must he remain an unknown soldier?
He was a friend.
What if next time I reach
for that Star
and cannot find THE HAND
that reached out so willingly
to help all of us?
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