I stopped taking things for granted
when I witnessed
my buddy drop,
his head explode
into a kaleidoscope
of blood, bone, and brains
raining down on the rest of us
who survived.

I kiss the ground
every day
& watch my tears
bleed on sacred soil.

And we toil,
often forgetting
the price some paid
for the chances we get
to walk under the sun.

Thanks Jeffrey,
this one's for you.