Memorial Day

parades and cookouts
warm sunny skies
swim clubs open
as summer arrives

air shows thrill
speeches and prayers
soldiers march
past cheering crowds

beneath the fields
young bodies rot
their courage praised
their lives denied

and through the years
the cycle runs
more glorious days
more youth in graves

Trail Athletes

many hikers
young and old
pound the trail
to reach a goal

perhaps a summit
yet unscaled
or record time
around the loop

along the way
their senses keen
eyes ahead
muscles taut

most decline
the pleasing views
no explorations
slow their pace

aerobic stress
is what they seek
the woods and fields
a changing blur

as they pass
absorbed in pain
we amblers yield
and mourn their loss