HAND ME DOWN

Written for Lexi's Poetry Challenge

HAND ME DOWN

It's just another hand me down,
or so I thought back then -
The collar of the jacket frayed
but good enough to wear again.

It used to have two stripes
proclaiming rank and pride;
I remember Joey wearing it
when he stood by my side.

He was nineteen that year, and
he had joined the ranks of men
who would go protect our country
and were needed so much then.

A year ago, we got the news
that he was one of the missing,
Mama cried so many tears,
and Susie missed his kissing.

We buried him this morning,
on a hillside he loved so well,
for him the war was over -
he's back from a war-torn hell.

Now I wear that jacket with
a reverence for the pride
that Joey felt when he wore it
and cherished 'till he died.

To some, it's just a hand-me-down,
but to me it holds the spirit of
a brother lost in battle -
and it's something that I love.

Countrymom
8/28/05