JENNY M GUERRIER

Because of you

While we sleep, you keep watch. While we laugh at the table, you stand between us and the dark. Your families wait with quiet strength, holding the home until you come back. You did not go looking for war. You went so the rest of us could keep living the ordinary days— school runs, birthday cakes, porch lights left on for someone coming home. You gave us the chance to feel safe and never have to wonder why. Today we stop. We say thank you out loud. We look at the ones still here and the empty places where others should be. Gone too soon. You were part of our story. We will not let your names fade. Some of us smile when we remember you. Some of us cry. Both are true. Both mean we know what you gave so the rest of us could stay free. We sleep because of you. We live because of you. And on this day, we remember.