Roads of Normandy

Driving down the roads of Normandy
A soft, refreshing rain falls on green fields and apple orchards.
Cows graze peacefully, undisturbed by the shower.
Sixty years ago soldiers cursed this rain,
An enemy to endure.
Muddy roads, wet clothes, sore toes.

Soldiers landing on beaches given
American names,
Utah, Omaha, Sword and Gold.
German guns cut down
Young men never to be fathers,
Fathers never to see their children grown.

Beyond the beach lay perilous roads.
Troops scan fields for Normandy cows.
Curiously clustered at hedgerows,
Snipers hiding, ready to kill.
Peacefully grazing, no mines,
Leave the road, safe to cross.

Mired in mud the soldiers press on
Past road signs with names they can't pronounce.
In shattered towns, teary-eyed citizens
Cheer with words they don't understand.
Visions of home and loved ones waiting
Fill their thoughts and dreams.

As the sun emerges and emerald hues flood the countryside,
hard to call to mind the horrors of war.
Lives lost, towns destroyed,
Families forever broken.
Driving down the roads of Normandy
We must remember.