A single slat of a broken white picket fence
Where the paint is old and faded
And peeling
But it reminds me of him
And the time we spent together in the garden
Growing our family tree

A single frame of an abandoned photo gallery
Where the glass is cracked and dust-caked
And forsaken
But it reminds me of him
And the life we spent together before he was shipped off
Caring for our family tree

A single grave of a mass of forgotten soldiers
Where their names are etched in stone
And left
But it reminds me of him
And the lives he spared at the cost of his own
Saving our family tree