OMAHA

on the beach
the entire man was jerking
as only half a man can.
nearby, his separated left leg floated in the water
being tossed by the swirling waves,
the newly issued combat boot loose and twisted on his foot.
the right leg was no where to be seen.
a gold chain remained hanging on his neck, the French sand
obscuring the girl's name etched on its' shiny surface.
his US Army helmet was gone, as was most of his head.
were he able to look, he would have seen a high tide
floating the remains of the American assault onto Omaha beach.
Bravely, a Ranger stumbled out of the surf aiming to join up
with a few survivors heading to Pointe du Hoc, where
they would fight in a small perimeter, their guns aimed
at the enemy trying to kill them.  A destroyer close to
shore was providing fire to keep the Germans at bay.
when Eisenhower learned of their advances later in the morning,
he knew the European invasion was started, but could not know
how great the success would be.
the skies improved in the afternoon, but the cost was high
and would continue to rise with the clouds blowing to the east.