sunflowers by the sea

Dear Grandpa,

To the man who had lived through
The battlefields and the wars
Oh,
How I wish I could see you
Just once more,
For I cannot help but think
That you were given your wings much too early
With me being only
The wee age of six

I think of you often
And hope that you know
The stories your brother have told
Are the ones which will forever
Remain engraved within my soul

For you see,
I know
How you did not wish to speak of the war
For you never did talk about the invasion
Even after the blood shed finally was washed ashore,
And perhaps some would call it a miracle
For I know that you ran,
Ran away with your family in sheer desperation
Feeling so much more beyond
What words can comprehend,
Having to see your once evergreen land
Tainted by the echoing of gunshots
And the cries of wandering souls
Belonging to fallen young men
With the panic truly settling in
When your family of many had to make
A burdensome decision
For in that moment,
There were no other choices left.

And so,
As they left your baby brother
Sleeping in his cradle
And fled towards
The dense trees of the jungle
You make the split-second decision
To turn around
And save
That innocent little child

Indeed,
That little baby was your brother
The one who grew up to live
And tell the tale of the one
Who had so very bravely
Saved him