I was woken last night, hours before dawn
it was a powerful omen left by the storm. A beam of light so focused and bright aroused me from bed and left me wrestling with thoughts raging in my head. My country, my country what has happened to you? The country I knew seems to have passed like the night, and I fear something is definitely not right. Are we still the land of the free, home of the brave, true to our blue, red, and white? Blue for vigilance, perseverance and justice. Red for hardiness and valor. White for purity and innocence. The values we have fought, bled, and died for ~ America’s shining jewel, One Nation under God, sadly none, no longer taught in our schools. My child, believe it or not, it’s American History we’ve most forgot. It creates turmoil and angst in me knowing you can’t tell what it means to truly be free. Yes, my child, we’ve now been put to the test, we’ve lost our individuality, encouraged to look like the rest. And if we don’t think like others, we’ll be thrown from the nest. How did we get to where we are today? It’s definitely that we’ve given our Freedoms away. We weren’t paying attention and they’ve been stripped clean. Yes, our history tells it all, the greatest social experiment a thousand feet tall. Where every citizen could rise to their abilities and beyond, now it seems we’re all just hanging on. We fought for our independence in the Revolutionary War, we declared to England, NO MORE, NO MORE! We were citizen soldiers, willing to die to be free, brave men and women who didn’t buy into the idea of LET IT BE, LET IT BE! “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness…”[1] So, my dear, America must once again come together as one. A land where every man and woman and child are free to aspire to be who they were created to be. A land where group think isn’t the recipe of the day, where each one of us works to carve out our own way. E pluribus unum ~ Out of many, one! “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union… With a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”[2] Yes, I think I hear the fireworks and see them lighting up the sky. It’s our country’s birthday, now, you needn’t ask why. The future of the U.S.A is one where all Americans can participate, that’s why thousands each day are breaking down our gate. I hear the sounds of trumpets, the woodwinds, the drums and the chimes, I know we’ll get back to better American times. Until we do, America, America, fly your flag true. For now, from me, my sincerest wish – HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!
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I hate buses, I hate buses,
I hate laundromats too. I hate anything that doesn’t remind me of you. This long bus ride from the Cape to L.A. how it drones on day after day. The constant humming of the diesel a worrisome song the passengers change as we chug along. Sometimes full, sometimes near empty, with only one constant, that constant is me. I hate laundromats, I hate laundromats I hate dirty clothes too. I hate anything that doesn’t remind me of you. Those endless cycles spinning around, remind me that I have nothing but know where I am bound. No one to share, no one to tell, I ponder and scheme accompanied only by the washing and drying machine. My jeans have been soiled, my sweatshirt stained gray, I’ve worn the same clothes day after day, I will take a two hour shower when I get to LA. I hate to start my life over as if it is new but I’m now in my thirties and living is long overdue. My heart is in a quandary, my heart is in a rut, I feel anxious and worried, as if there’s something I forgot. It’s been nine months since I last saw you You’re living the life, attending UCLA and I’ve been hammering nails throughout the Cape every damn day. I’m buff, bloody, blistered, and worn and missing you is a relentless thorn. I’m no blue blood armed with a degree, I’m a craftsman supreme and that’s fine by me. I can put pieces of wood together and make it a home, where we can embrace each other and never again feel alone. Just three hours away and reality sets in I’ve left all my possessions behind, have I committed a grave sin? Will you laugh in my face, turn tail and run? Or will you embrace me and make me the happiest man under the sun? There’s only one thing, yes just one thing that reigns supreme. To see your beautiful face and hold you, is my ultimate dream. Pulling into the station I feel antsy as hell, I must admit, that I feel a bit unwell. Am I out of my mind arriving by bus to grab hold of the love of my life? I have every intention of making you my wife. I look out the window and you suddenly appear, All pain, doubts, suffering now gone, I am not left with a single fear. What a pair we will make The world by storm I know we will take. You with your PhD and me with a sawdust kind of mind together we’ll dream and build a beautiful life, one nail at a time. There’s no way of telling but I know we’ll do just fine. Here I am love, will you be my wife? Your ears are so big they’re big enough to fly I’ve always looked at them and wondered why. They seem to be pushed out from you head And when it’s cold they turn candy apple red. Yes, they’re big I won’t deny they are. I can hear near, mid-field and even afar. They’re big enough to hear everything you say but not so big that I can fly away. There’s a reason for big ears, my son, can’t you see? It’s so I can hear better when you’re talking to me. Slow down, don’t run, We’re exchanging words now, father and son. Me sharing my thoughts with you is how it should be, And you sharing your thoughts with me. Wow, your nose is so large, it’s bulbous and round It runs interference when you’re staring down. It must be a burden to smell all them strong smells that you do, A blooming rose, the mist off the sea, or a can full of garbage – P U! Well son, I rather like my nose, It gives my face proportion as my profile goes. About my smell, yes, I am a blessed man I can smell out my child where ever I stand. You smell like innocence, confusion and such I know it’s hard to be young and in such a rush. Let your senses be a part of who you are They’ll define you and guide you as you reach for the stars. What’s up with your eyes, they look this way and that There’s no way in the world you can see me, you seem blind as a bat. And if you do, the picture you see just can’t be right Unless I’m there, right in your direct line of sight. My eyes are perfect, I use them every day, They are the windows of my world, They are the windows of my mind, My eyes bring me the vision of my family, my children, my wife. My sight has brought me clearly to define, My life has been good, my life is just fine. Dad, you’re the best-looking man I’ve ever seen
You look a lot like me, I look a lot like you, If you look in the mirror, you couldn’t distinguish us two. You’re my father and I’m your son, I Love you Dad, even though you are a funny looking one. I wonder what you’re wearing tonight,
Your silk willowy flowered dress? The one that catches the wind as you walk by, That you wore when we first met. The one that drew my wandering eye. It was a mellow rose and a lazy shade of blue, I was on the rebound and fell for the likes of you. You stood out from all the rest. And then you looked at me, and I was blessed Or are you wearing your tight Calvin Klein jeans, The ones that hug your every curve. Those really sexy jeans that fractured my ailing nerve. You wore them with your heels, on a pedestal you stood. No other girl I ever met made them look so good. I wonder what you’re wearing tonight, Your vogue workout jams? You trolled Faneuil Hall in your lululemons Knowing you looked the best of all. Everyone stopped where they stood, You even made sweat look good. Or are you wearing nothing at all, Like you wore most nights with me? This is how I remember you best Cuddled under the sheets at rest. I never heard the city traffic go by In the quietness, I heard only your sigh. I wonder what you’re wearing tonight, Does a smile adorn your face? In my heart, I hope not. And that you still carry the thoughts of me When we were young and hot. I pause to think what you would choose to wear… Me on your arm is what I long to hear. So I’m wondering what you’re wearing tonight As I turn to shut off the light. He never thought he’d be an American hero
He was just an average guy. It wasn’t in his plan to join, to fight, to die. But duty called and rallied him To leave it all behind, his job, his wife, his family life. He travelled towards the sun In the early years of the war When the fighting had just begun. His tour of duty passed slowly. He learned war is ugly. He saw things he couldn’t ever imagine. He had stories that one day would need to be told. He dreamed through the months of the day he would go home. To the country and family he loved Is where his mind would most often roam. Our soldier learned quickly That it wasn’t what he thought it would be, Fighting with the 172nd Mountain Infantry And living by its motto: “Ascend To Victory” Steadfast friends were made, forged on the battlefield during their tour. A “Band of Brothers” that can only be made in war. He fought by their side each and every day And watched many get injured and several “blown away”. A soldier’s plight is to fight, not to question why. Why some who fought with him, had to fall and die. His angst was more than anybody would ever know, With each and every death, it took one more piece of his soul. It was a split-second decision, made without hesitation To put himself in harm’s way, and save the life of his friend. In an instant his death made him a hero and his wife a widow. She can do nothing but cry, as she tries to make sense of it all. Left with a child alone, every night she falls into bed, Pulls the covers over her head and dreams that her hero has come home But when she wakes, crying a tear, she finds herself still alone. Our American Heroes, we have a duty to them all. Freedom has a dreadful price. We can’t let them be vanquished into the darkness of the night. Let us always remember them, and by them do what is right. Our soldier learned quickly That it wasn’t what he thought it would be, Fighting with the 172nd Mountain Infantry And living by its motto: “Ascend To Victory” |