Do you remember the morning
we awoke and you asked,
why do you love me?
I stretched and flexed my arms as hard as I could.
I cut my palm to the bone and smeared
I love you
on the wall above our bed.

Do you remember the morning
we awoke and you asked,
why do you love me
as you left?
I whispered
because it is written,
but it wasn’t.

Gerardo Mena is a decorated Iraqi Freedom veteran. He spent six years with the Reconnaissance Marines as a Special Amphibious Reconnaissance Corpsman and was awarded a Navy Achievement Medal with a ‘V for valor’ for multiple acts of heroism while under enemy fire. He is currently a student at the University of Missouri and is completing his degree in Secondary Education with an emphasis on Language Arts. He won the 2010 War Poetry contest sponsored by Winningwriters.com.