Man down.

An empty spot on the couch
Frames with missing pictures
An empty bedroom down the hall.

Mother’s little shooting star
Father’s little champion
Sister’s knight in shining armour.

Twenty or so gun holes
Through the head, chest, and back
Shown no mercy by the enemy.

No time to save himself
No time to even say last words
Dead before he hits the floor.

Mother’s guttural wailing
Father’s heavy sobbing
Sister’s soft weeping.

War can take the best of us
Lives lost without cause.
Empty places in our hearts.