A Slice of Dirt Pie

It's a Central Illinois football story honoring veterans! It's a novella/poetry a noveltree! The day we went to the Vietnam and Korean Memorials, we broke out our homemade T-shirts. They were yellow with, REASONS TO REMEMBER, stenciled in black marker over the left breast. Every military person knows their fruit salad home is right there. On the back of Panz's shirt was the outline of Vietnam with 58,209 printed on top of it, at the bottom was 1959-1975. We had made them before this years Memorial Day, as more names were added to the Wall. I had the outline of Korea with 56,402, 1950-1953. Our chaperones gave us some flak about wearing dress shirts and ties, but we outweighed them by over 40 pounds. It had taken us 12 shirts and three weeks, before we agreed they were veteran approvable! It was a black operation for us. "We are going to have Hedgeapple Harbor!" Panz pulled out an osage orange fruit and threw it out on our field. I smiled and joined in the chunking. He had one for every point that had been scored against us in the last three years. We were about half through when Billy thompson rolled up in his squad car. He got out and shook his head. From the Poem: Listen to Their Voices, Hear the Winds Cry! B-2 or not to be, Missouri to Kosovo, My office window looks over the cherubs playground. I know that in my days the last Doughboy will mutter "over there", and the last of the Bloody Buckets will fall. Listen to their voices, hear the winds cry! A bright new century, golden fighter wings I own, a sickly pallor hangs over Pennsylvannia, NY and Washington. Big brother lost in tower two! Do you remember me in your fireman's hat? Fireangle, little sister, has your back. Listen to their voices, hear the winds cry!