Saturday, July 2, 2011

Reverie


With 4th of July just around the corner, Jenny's tipping her Saturday Centus hat to the national anthem this week. We're back to our hundred-word limit; the prompt is in red.

∞§∞

Reverie
©2011 Susan Noyes Anderson

His voice was what won her...strong and deep, warm enough to fill a woman’s heart. She loved it soft and low in the dark, raised and raucous across a football field, slow and sure as he spoke of things that mattered to him.

Everything mattered to him, not least of all his country. She smiled because his “most of all” was her. That went both ways, and she was glad of it…even as she gazed upon the gleaming box she’d chosen for its lines. Clean, like him.

His voice wasn’t lost, could not be lost. She heard it rising clear above the flag that graced the coffin, now his own.

“Oh, say can you see…”

∞§∞

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25 comments:

  1. JudieJuly 2, 2011 at 10:13 AM

    Sue, this piece is so bittersweet. You made me cry.

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  2. DarleneJuly 2, 2011 at 10:18 AM

    Wow, this one really got to me. Dick told me to come and read this post and he was kinda choked up. Now I know why. It is the sort of thing that does choke one up, the sort of thing that brings on that feeling every single time I see the flag or hear a patriotic song played by a military band, or watch the flag go by in a parade. This piece really says it all. Thanks Sue, we do need to remember the important things whenever we have a special holiday to celebrate. Too many people just celebrate.

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  3. jenJuly 2, 2011 at 10:25 AM

    You just gave me chills. This may be my new favorite. Thanks for a great start to this memorable weekend.

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  4. cj SchlottmanJuly 2, 2011 at 10:43 AM

    Heartbreaking, Sue. And as usual your smooth style makes it very readable and brings your words right into my heart.

    Namaste..........cj

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  5. jeff campbellJuly 2, 2011 at 12:04 PM

    Well done Sue!! Sad, yet upbeat...and so in tune with the holiday...Peace and blessings

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  6. BookieJuly 2, 2011 at 2:04 PM

    Wonderful job, Sue. Piercing, right to the heart of this holiday. Sad but so nicely written!

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  7. UnknownJuly 2, 2011 at 6:35 PM

    How beautiful, it's sad but I love it:-)

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  8. Karen MortensenJuly 2, 2011 at 9:32 PM

    Oh my. That was something. Well written.

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  9. People Who Know Me Would Say:July 3, 2011 at 2:42 AM

    You never fail to reel me in, Sue!!!
    Fabulous!

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  10. Grandma HoneyJuly 3, 2011 at 9:09 AM

    You never cease to amaze me....what angles you take in your writing. Very creative.

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  11. karenJuly 3, 2011 at 9:44 AM

    Made me cry, gave me hope. We owe so much to those who have given everything.

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  12. Dazee DreamerJuly 3, 2011 at 10:35 AM

    Sue. You are wonderful. I felt this clear to my soul. Thank you so much.

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  13. yayaJuly 3, 2011 at 11:58 AM

    So sad, yet so sweet and hopeful and full of love. Great post for this weekend.

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  14. Donna TagliaferriJuly 3, 2011 at 4:18 PM

    that was lovely.....I want to know more about them..Happy 4th

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  15. AmyJuly 3, 2011 at 4:57 PM

    I had no idea that was coming. Such a difficult thing to read. How do you come up with these things? Beautiful, bittersweet, and amazingly written. But that really should come as no surprise.

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  16. JoJuly 3, 2011 at 6:21 PM

    beautiful ... bittersweet, and now tearstained ... bravo Sue!

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  17. AmesJuly 3, 2011 at 11:39 PM

    That's a heartfelt poem. Great one Sue!~Ames

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  18. Brian MillerJuly 4, 2011 at 5:20 AM

    well you certainly know how to pull the heart strings sue...i hope that you and your family have a wonderful holiday!

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  19. FireblossomJuly 4, 2011 at 11:12 AM

    *sigh* oh gosh.

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  20. TgoetteJuly 4, 2011 at 1:59 PM

    Oh Sue your contribution this week was nothing short of amazing! So poignant and heartfelt...a perfect tribute to the holiday. Well done!

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  21. CarolineJuly 4, 2011 at 7:00 PM

    Sue, you are so talented. You always know you're reading words from a talented writer when you want to keep reading more and more...

    For the men and women who have given their lives for us to enjoy this life and country, I am eternally grateful.

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  22. JennyJuly 4, 2011 at 8:16 PM

    Sue. Oh Sue. So sad, this really choked me up. The price of freedom is never free. I know that's really cliched but it feels so true.

    Bless your talented heart for making us feel.

    You are astonishing.

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  23. UnknownJuly 5, 2011 at 6:49 AM

    It's difficult to read through tears .... hit me like a brick.... no matter how many years have passed it grips and twists.

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  24. UnknownJuly 5, 2011 at 8:43 AM

    Dear Sue,
    You have brought tears to my eyes. My father's coffin was draped with the American flag and a US Army Music Corps stood at attention in over 90 degrees Fahrenheit West Virginia summer heat, while a sole trumpeter played Taps. They folded the flag in a triangle and put into my mother's hands.
    Beautiful Centus!

    Thank you for visiting my SC-post. I am not writing a series, just using my fictional characters, Sanna and John, when they seem to fit a situation. If I ever sit down and write a novel about Sanna, it will not necessarily have the same order as her appearances on my blog.

    I admire these writers who can work the prompts into their ongoing stories. I can't do it. Sanna comes to my rescue when I just can't write about myself.

    Best wishes & hugs,
    Anna

    For the benefit of other readers:
    A Rainy Day in July-Anna's SC wk 61

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  25. 21 WitsJuly 6, 2011 at 2:16 PM

    Oh so sad, but beautifully written and so inspiring...thank you...

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