A Salute to Those

A Salute to those
who ventured ahead.
A Salute to those
who have advanced
through the thinning ranks.
A Salute to those
who, awhile,
have formed the vanguard
of our march through time.
A Salute to those
who have taken
that single, singular step
behind the curtain
billowing in the winds of transience.
A Salut to those,
to all their fears,
their hopes,
their memories -
left behind, sleeping,
but not forgotten.
A Salute to those.
A Salute to all.