Poetry For Vets

All poems or writings on this page are published with the express permission of the individual who wrote them.

 

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AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN, AND IN THE MORNING,

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

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MY PROMISE

I promise you dear soldier
to remember what you've done
all the scarifies you have made
in battles lost and won.

I promise you dear soldier
that you will not have fought in vain
even when the years have come and gone
and only your tombstone does remain

I promise you dear soldier
a poppy I will wear
to show the world I'm proud of you
and that I will always care

I promise you dear soldier
to teach my children well
so that they will always remember
and to their children the stories tell

To you I make this promise
an oath straight from my heart
to never, ever forget you
and that in my life you have a part.

Lest that we forget
the terror that is war
and all that has been given
by those who fought before

Written by Maria Sutherland
November 2000
http://members.tripod.com/~msbeliever/WWII.html

A SOLDIER'S PRAYER


Dear Lord
Please let me have regular dreams like others do
Not these nightmares of memory
Let my dreams be filled with light and joy
Not smoke and terror
Let me hear the laughter of children
Not the screams of men dying
Let the birds fill the air with song
Not the sounds of bombs and bullets
Let the rivers run pure and clear
Not red with blood
Let everyone be healthy and whole
Not missing limbs and faces
Let the earth look as you made it
Not scorched and cratered
Let me wake up smiling
Not searching for the enemy
Let the sweat on my pillow be from summer's heat
Not the sweat of fear and anxiety
but dear Lord most of all
I beg you
Please don't let my children or their children
pray to you as I am doing tonight
Amen

Written by Maria Sutherland
September 16, 1999

http://members.tripod.com/~msbeliever/WWII.html

popbullet.gif (1490 bytes)      REMEMBER THEM  popbullet.gif (1490 bytes)

Many men traveled across land and sea,

To fight for their country and what they believed.

Some were fortunate and came back alive,

Others will never return for they gave their lives.

We set aside a single day a year,

To remember those and shed a tear.

For it’s because of them we are standing here,

They fought for our freedom, let’s give them a cheer.

We wear a poppy to show our support for them,

We remember them all, the women and men.

On November 11th, take time to send,

A message of thanks to those living and dead.

Garry W. Bell, Branch Member

November 4, 1992

REMEMBRANCE DAY

This Sacred Day Within Our Hearts

Stands Out Above All Others,

For At This Time We Homage Pay

To Our Lost Sons And Daughters.

 

We Pause To Think Of Those Who Died

For What They Thought Was Right,

With Faithful Hearts They Plunged Against

The Vain Oppressors Might.

 

All O’er The World These Wars Have Raged,

On Land And Ocean Wide,

And In Each Place Our Gallant Ones

Have Bravely Fought And Died.

 

Though We Build Monuments Of Stone,

Or Place Bells In Church Steeples,

Their Memory Lives Within The Hearts

Of Freedom Loving Peoples.

 

By Alan Neelon, 1925- 1993

Dedicated to the Canadian troops who lost their lives April 18, 2002. Rest in peace, and God be with you.

THE FINAL INSPECTION

The soldier stood and faced God

Which must always come to pass.

He hoped his shoes were shining

Just as brightly as his brass.

Step forward now, you soldier,

how shall I deal with you?

Have you always turned the other cheek?

To My Church have you been true?

The soldier squared his shoulders

And said, No Lord, I guess I ain’t

Because those of us who carry guns

Can’t always be a saint

I’ve had to work most Sundays,

And at times my talk was tough;

And sometimes I’ve been violent,

Because the world is awfully rough.

But, I never took a penny

That wasn’t mine to keep...

Though I worked a lot of overtime

When the bills just got too steep,

And I never passed a cry for help;

Though at times I shook with fear.

And sometimes, God forgive me,

I’ve wept unmanly tears.

I know I don’t deserve a place,

Among the people here.

They never wanted me around

Except to calm their fear.

If you’ve a place for me here, Lord,

It needn’t be so grand.

I never expected or had too much;

But if you don’t, I’ll understand.

There was a silence all around the throne

Where the saints had often trod.

As the soldier waited quietly

For the judgement of his God,

Step forward now, you soldier,

you’ve borne your burdens well.

Walk peacefully on Heaven’s streets;

You’ve done your time in Hell.

To all Who Serve

By Unknown

The Soldier's Bond

The horror that is war
never goes away
no matter how many years pass
the memories stay
But for all the ugly pictures
there are some good ones too
of the special bonds that soldiers have
with others that they knew
Only another solider
can truly understand
the depth of love and friendship
that binds the fighting man
To truly trust each other
is difficult to do
but you learn to trust another
as they learn to trust you
There are no words to describe it
the bond these men share
and we'd never understand it
because we weren't there
I'm sure if you say to them,
I wish I had that type of bond
that special trust you share
as one they'd say to you
'NO CHILD I hope you never do
because that means a war again
and all the horror too.
I cherish all the memories
of the men I came to know
that special bond we forged
so many years ago
but those bonds that we made
were so you'd never have to know
all the horror that forged them
and the pain that never goes.

 

Written by Maria Sutherland
December, 1998

http://members.tripod.com/~msbeliever/WWII.html
 
I will be adding additional pome's as I come across them.