Stella remembers when
the Zeros flew thru her backyard
and she saw Pearl Harbor in flames,
blue bodies bouncing on the waves.
–
Afterward, welders melted
the steel of capsized destroyers
hoping to rescue any
upside down survivors.
–
Her Billy drafted six months before
would fly Wildcats in the Marshall Islands
and in the Coral Seas never losing a gunner.
–
At Midway he launched from the Enterprise,
into a fury of collapsing sea foam and mist
part of the 233 fighter planes of
the sleeping giant squadron
filed with a terrible resolve.
–
The Zero bullets ricocheted
around the open back cabin
and Billy heard the loud groan
and Mike fall asleep as he
flew on through the fog
of exploding red mushrooms.
–
He returned safely home to Stella
wrapped in metals and the flag.
She knew from that day that
Zeros would darken her every sky.
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