D-Day

Hard-edged brass and bogged-down shoes
We guessed we’d be tomorrow’s news
The lives we lost, we kept close score
On that cool summer night back in ‘44
 
Silhouettes against a black sky, metal floated down
Sparks swirling in the air, jewels on a crown
The clack of dying engines, faltering mid-flight
Then a dance of fire across the bleak midnight
 
Omaha, Gold, Juno, Utah, and Sword
Boots hit the ground and in came our hordes
Boys with fresh faces, our loyalty to send
It didn’t take long to turn into men
 
I rushed in, not once looking back
But that was when Germans began to attack
Men once standing, were now very still
Machine-gun fire rained down from a hill
 
A smatter of liquid hits me mid-fire
A soldier tumbles amidst the swampy mire
I keep running forward, my uniform a shell
I knew I’d be with him tonight as well
 
Devil on my shoulder, heaven on my side
The earth is shattered, the universe collides
The sand is red for all to see
And death, so cold, stands next to me
 
Attack, attack, and attack again
For freedom, for liberty, for life to amend
Mortar fire blasted us all to pieces
Tattered and broken were once strong legions
 
We all lost part of ourselves that night
The part that knew what’s wrong and right
Point, aim, shoot, cover
Duck, run, flash, thunder
 
But the world did not end, no, not that day
Because freedom was fought, our lives to lay
We moved on from the horrors we sought
But the sacrifice we made was not forgot
 
Most were nineteen, some twenty-three
Tomorrow became a day they’d never see
Across the beach, white figures are dotted
With the memory of men in the form of crosses
 
The brave young men from land, sea, and air
Now comb down our scarce, white hair
We remember our brothers across the sea
Who stayed behind, back in Normandy