The three-volley salute is over, its echoes start to fade.
With lips pressed to the bugle, TAPS will now be played.
Twenty-four notes are offered, feelings will be stirred,
veterans snap to attention as those solemn notes are heard.

Life screeches to a halt, no one speaks a word.
Passing cars disappear like the chirp of every bird.
Our hearts will slowly melt, emotions off the chart
as the notes we hear come from the bugler’s heart.

Each note has a purpose, like the soldier it salutes.
We see them in their Class A’s, or in their jungle boots.
We think that we are strong, our eyes would never leak;
seconds later prove us wrong as a tear rolls down our cheek. 

Sixty seconds pass from the first note to the last,
thanking the soldier for being loyal and steadfast.
Swearing to protect their country, men and women both proclaim,
earning the right to say, ‘Veteran’, when they tell someone their name.

Twenty-four notes so heavy, that many cannot stand
played by one lone bugler, not an orchestra or band.
As the last note slowly wanes our energy is gone,
but the memory of our veteran, forever will live on.