When I understood he understood
I answered him with Okay
The blank expression on my face
Disguising my anguish
At his answer of Okay
A hollow voice and fallen expression
Making his disappointment clear
It was a bare consent
Wrapped in sorrow
Closing his eyes
I’d had to let him know
The National Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl
No longer had space for burials
Cremation now the only option
If he wanted to be there
But he said No
Absolutely No Cremation
His dream of being buried up there
Dying at the moment
Realizing his final resting place
Would be the Veteran’s Cemetery in Kaneohe
For as long as I could remember
He’d hoped for Punchbowl in the end
And I felt it was as if I’d let him down
As if it was my decision
That he would rest uneasy for eternity
Lanning Lee 