A poem about Decoration Day:
A poem about Decoration Day:
"Where Memory Wakes"
Today we call it Memorial Day, but the holiday began as Decoration Day, an occasion to honor Civil War dead.
By Brad Trom
The morning softens into May,
Beneath a quiet, shifting sky,
We gather on Decoration Day,
To watch the faded banners fly.
With baskets filled with early bloom—
The lilac, rose, and peony red—
We walk among the silent room
Of those who sleep in honor’s bed.
The Ritual of Remembrance
- A quiet step on unkept grass,
- A gentle hand to clear the stone,
- A moment paused as shadows pass,
- A promise made that they're not alone.
We clear the tangled weed and vine,
And press a blossom to the clay,
To draw a long and sacred line
From their past to our today.
"They gave the ultimate, silent yield,
Beneath the flag they died to save;
Now spring returns to every field,
And plants a flower on every grave."
The Living Legacy
The bugle sounds its lonely call,
A sharp, silver note against the hill,
A tribute to the ones who fall,
Whose names are echoing and still.
So let the petals softly lay,
Before the summer heat begins,
For this is Decoration Day—
Where memory wakes, and love defends.
Submitted by: Brad Trom, PO Box 757, Blooming Prairie MN 55917-0757 USA, (507)583-7718, trom.brad@gmail.com