I walked among the dead today,
The young and old alike.
In horizontal stacks they laid,
As bricks within a dike.

I walked among the dead today,
No voices could I hear,
Whispered sadness asked of me:
"Why come but once a year?"

I walked among the dead today,
Letters acclaimed their names.
The numbers, wept their years, so few,
Their silent voices begged me, remain.

I walked among the dead today,
Lives cut short of their time,
My heart beat fast in awe of them,
Brave men before their prime.

I walked among the dead today,
And heard their common plea,
Of me, they asked but a single thing,
"Give thanks on bended knee."

I walked among the dead today,
Small flags marked every tomb,
I knew where freedom’s roots do lie,
It grows from these earthly wombs.