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Anniversary of U.S.S. Arizona
Posted by wfosterwelborn
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.
Posted in Poetry
Tags: anger, Arizona, autumn leaves, blood, comrades, country, decks, deserving, doomed, forever, honor roll, memory, New Thought, Pearl Harbor, poem, Poetry, price, Religion and Spirituality, rendered, sea, Silence, sleep, tears, Thoughts, tribute, Truth, U.S.S. Arizona, vengeance, victory, war, wisdom, World War II
My Epitaph
Posted by wfosterwelborn
Gaze upon this empty shell
But shed no tear
For it served me well.
There were many things
It couldn’t do
So I’ve slipped it off
Like a well-worn shoe.
When I wore it,
There was pain…
It got burned by the sun
And soaked by the rain.
When it got old,
It couldn’t run
Or hop and skip
Or dance in fun.
Chairs and beds
Had to be arranged
To keep it warm
When the weather changed.
Its hair thinned out,
And its eyes grew dim…
A burst of energy was
But a dreamy whim.
The body grew wrinkled,
But the brain increased.
Knowledge and wisdom expanded
As mobility ceased.
Life’s run is over now.
The spirit seeks a better place.
Time for the old body to rest,
But, wow, what a race!
Tags: autumn leaves, Dancing, dreams, Knowledge, Life, metaphysics, nature, New Age, New Thought, poem, Poetry, rest, Spirit, Thoughts, time, Truth, Understanding, wisdom
What Now?
Posted by wfosterwelborn
When a man has traveled far places,
Leaving footsteps on foreign land and distant shores.
When he has walked over lofty rugged mountains,
Wandered his valleys and fished his many streams.
When he has sown his seed, nurtured his offspring,
Spoken his thoughts and satisfied his thirst for knowledge.
When he has fought his battles, ran his life’s long races,
Feels his flame grow dimmer and the horizons of his vision weaken.
When dreams fade and hopes are but a study in futility,
And he no longer does for himself, but must rely upon others.
Growing older, feeling weaker,
Lapsing into periods away from reality — —
Feeling less and less like a man.
What Now?
Africa
Posted by wfosterwelborn
This poem comes from Autumn Leaves:
I hear the cry of Africa,
See her saddened plight —
Lackluster eyes, no hope or dreams,
Watch day and night.
Listless resignation,
Men gaze o’er vast parched plains,
Useless to plant in dried-out earth,
Waiting for blessed rains.
People far past anguish,
No more tears to shed,
No food, no clothes,
Hard earth for a bed.
Hunger pains diminished,
No longer feeling pain,
Too little food, too late,
And no one to blame.
I hear the cries of Africa,
Mourning on the winds,
In wake of death,
Starving hands reach quietly for their friends.
Haunting face of children
As hunger stalks this land.
No quarter given, and death lurks
For both beast and man.
Women stand bewildered,
Eying their helpless brood,
Wasting away, to laugh no more
For simple lack of food.
I hear the cry of Africa,
Wafting o’er the dry blasted sand,
People of proud heritage,
But what future in this drought-stricken land?
Building Blocks
Posted by wfosterwelborn
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.
Posted in Poetry
Tags: autumn leaves, Building Blocks, decay, metaphysics, nature, New Age, New Thought, poem, Poetry, Thoughts, Truth, Understanding, wisdom
Viet Nam Remembered
Posted by wfosterwelborn
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.
Tags: answer, autumn leaves, Friends, Heaven, Hell, metaphysics, New Age, New Thought, poem, Poetry, shrine, soldiers, Thoughts, Truth, Viet Nam, Viet Nam Remembered, Viet Nam War Memorial, war, wisdom
Chakras
Posted by wfosterwelborn
This comes from Autumn Leaves:
I am —
Pulsating,
Vibrating,
Lotus lit,
Flowing,
Calmly free,
Energy forces,
Dancing light,
Centered,
Waiting
To Be.
Tags: autumn leaves, centered, Chakras, Dancing, Energy, Flowing, forces, light, New Age, New Thought, poem, Poetry, pulsating, Religion and Spirituality, Thoughts, To Be, Truth, Understanding, waiting, wisdom
Ira Stiles
Posted by wfosterwelborn
This poem comes from Autumn Leaves:
I remember Ole Ira Stiles,
Used to come to town now and then,
Spreading warmth with his ear-splittin’ smile,
And, just as suddenly, gone again.
Nobody knew where Ira called home;
He seemed to wear all that he owned.
The big friendly smile never left his face,
Except when he bowed his big head in grace.
I’m told a certain sweet thing fell in love
With Ira’s big smiles.
When news reached him of the maiden’s whim,
Ira quickly covered some miles.
Folks never saw his smiling face again,
But have you ever touched a star or held the wind?
Sometimes I think of “Ole Smiling Ira,”
But I believe his last name was really ‘Mariah.”
Posted in Poetry
Tags: autumn leaves, Mariah, metaphysics, nature, New Age, New Thought, Ole Ira Stiles, Ole Smiling Ira, poem, Poetry, smile, Thoughts, Truth, Understanding, wisdom
Last Call
Posted by wfosterwelborn
This is from Autumn Leaves:
It’s already been said and written,
But a few more lines I’ll dare
The warning to sound,
The bell to ring
For he who still has to care.
Find truth and understanding,
Love that knows no bounds,
Make straight His path,
Accept His cross —
Before the trumpet sounds.
Posted in Poetry
Tags: autumn leaves, Love, metaphysics, New Age, New Thought, poem, Poetry, straight, Thoughts, trumpet, Truth, Understanding, wisdom
Pisces
Posted by wfosterwelborn
This comes from Autumn Leaves:
Pisces people grab a shooting star
And hold on tight,
Living, working, playing, and loving
With all their might.
On fire with exuberance of love and life,
And, like the salmon
On their upstream struggle,
They live, spawn, and die.
Posted in Poetry
Tags: autumn leaves, exuberance, Fire, Life, Love, metaphysics, New Age, New Thought, Pisces, play, poem, Poetry, shooting star, Thoughts, Truth, Understanding, wisdom