Parade Route

The guys who walk

down Main Street

in their uniforms of old

each year are bent a little more

and walk a little slower.

The route is maybe shorter

than it was the year before,

and we carry umbrellas

just in case of heat or showers.

But they’re as proud

as they were on the day

they joined the service.

And they recall the men they lost

with every step they take.

published in Medusa's Kitchen and in Medium