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Anniversary of U.S.S. Arizona
After standing on the decks of the memorial for the U.S.S. Arizona,
I wrote this poem to honor our fallen comrades on the
50th Anniversary of that day, December 7, 1991.
It is included in my book, Autumn Leaves.
We came to pay you tribute,
O’er encrusted decks we stood.
And because you are deserving,
We rendered as we could.
Oil seeps up to surface light,
Rainbowed tears of those below,
Doomed forever to silence
Those many long years ago.
“Forget me not,” you whisper.
“Perish the thought,” say I.
“Though you sleep beneath the sea,
Your memory shall not die!”
“Remember Pearl! Remember Pearl!”
Soon became our national cry.
Our country rose in anger
On a vengeance trail to fly.
We shed our tears; we shed our blood.
War took an awesome toll.
Still we fought on to victory
While you topped our “Honor Roll.”
So rest in peace, fellow comrades,
The victory has been won.
We’ll not forget the price you paid
Seven December, Nineteen Forty-One.
Note: Oil still seeps out of the hull of the U.S.S. Arizona, creating rainbows on the water above it.
Building Blocks
This thought comes from Autumn Leaves:
As even coral reefs die
When certain conditions exist,
The building blocks created
Over years on top of tireless years
Just crumble and decay
Back from whence they came.
Coral reef
Viet Nam Remembered
This poem comes from Autumn Leaves for “Viet Nam Remembered”:
A few quiet moments,
Gazing at each name.
A moment of respect
In drizzling rain.
This polished black “V”
Gashed into the earth,
Names of dead recorded
Instead of birth.
As I stood there soaked
In beleaguered calm,
Recalling memories of buddies
In a place called Viet Nam.
I remember young faces,
Etched in grimy fear.
Muddy fatigues sagging,
Weighted down with gear.
Orange blossom napalm flashes,
Jellying up a hill.
Sweating soldiers cuss
While mustering their will.
Incoming rockets roar
Amidst bursting mortar shells,
No thought of Heaven
In this little piece of Hell!
Med-E-Vac choppers lift off,
Another wounded body gone.
Ashen-white face reveals
A friend left alone.
Maybe these inscribed names
Fit faces in my mind.
Scenes vivid and real
Forever enshrined.
Although it’s officially over,
Still there’s no end.
As I stand here quietly
With memories of friends.
Who has the answer,
Why we fought this war?
What did it accomplish?
What was it all for?
The answer now has become muted,
Grown hazy over time.
But you’ll never forget them
When you see their shrine.
Bronze at Viet Nam War Memorial
Viet Nam War Memorial
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