Poems

Just A Common Soldier

(A Soldier Died Today)

He was getting old and paunchy and his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion, telling stories of the past
Of a war that he had fought in and the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies; they were heroes, every one.

And tho' sometimes, to his neighbors, his tales became a joke,
All his Legion buddies listened, for they knew whereof he spoke.
But we'll hear his tales no longer for old Bill has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer, for a soldier died today.

He will not be mourned by many, just his children and his wife,
For he lived an ordinary and quite uneventful life.
Held a job and raised a family, quietly going his own way,
And the world won't note his passing, though a soldier died today.

When politicians leave this earth, their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing and proclaim that they were great.
Papers tell their whole life stories, from the time that they were young,
But the passing of a soldier goes unnoticed and unsung.

Is the greatest contribution to the welfare of our land
A guy who breaks his promises and cons his fellow man?
Or the ordinary fellow who, in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his Country and offers up his life?

A politician's stipend and the style in which he lives
Are sometimes disproportionate to the service that he gives.
While the ordinary soldier, who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal and perhaps, a pension small

It's so easy to forget them for it was so long ago,
That the old Bills of our Country went to battle, but we know
It was not the politicians, with their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom that our Country now enjoys.

Should you find yourself in danger, with your enemies at hand,
Would you want a politician with his ever-shifting stand?
Or would you prefer a soldier, who has sworn to defend
His home, his kin and Country and would fight until the end?

He was just a common soldier and his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us we may need his like again.
For when countries are in conflict, then we find the soldier's part
Is to clean up all the troubles that the politicians start.

If we cannot do him honor while he's here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage at the ending of his days.
Perhaps just a simple headline in a paper that would say,
Our Country is in mourning, for a soldier died today..

A Soldier's Dream

Place all your weight upon

my shoulders Lady Fair.

I am a knight beyond compare

I will lift you to my steed to rest on.

Place all your dreams upon

my heart Lady Fair.

I am a prudent man beyond compare

I will lock away your secrets that you sleep on.

Place all your wealth upon

my home Lady Fair.

I am a guardian beyond compare

your treasures with mine we build a life on.

Place all your lasting faith upon

my shoulders, heart and home Lady Fair.

I go to fight a great war beyond compare

while at rest, my mind will look to see your light on.

As Worlds Collide

In death your head upon my breast,

is warm from life's last breath.

As torches light and darkness falls,

horizons emit the maelstrom's calls.

Time soon forgets this fallen soul

as worlds collide, and fighting crests.

Shallow Ground

Ears deaf from the thunderous roar

Eyes burned when the sky caught fire

Soldiers backlit by glow of war

A child lost in the muck and mire.

Heroes holding their shallow ground

Two hundred shadows fight in flame

Pastures turn to a smelly mound

A grave for a man just the same.

He dreams of the love of his wife

At his farm that he left behind

Choking tears at the end of his life

Murdered by leaders so blind.

Markers like bones stand white crosses

Over souls lying sleeping in mud

This field soon covered by roses

Each petal a drop of their blood.

Farewell my son, never good bye

Lost in war to sit at God's feet

I look in prayer up to the sky