At Daddy's feet
Wishing he were here
The man who told
Funny stories
And said he lost
Enough stripes
To be a Sargent Major
He did not speak of combat
I did not need to know
I felt the sadness
And knew the horror
From his nightmares
My entire life
He made light of it
Awake
He honored bravery
Honesty
Loyalty
Sacrifice
He lived his life with these
Passing that honor
To his children
The nightmares never left
Imaginary Garden With Real Toads
29 comments:
this poem could be about my dad's brother, Uncle Jack.. exactly the same.. he was a tail gunner in WWII..
Very touching, Gail
Your poem moved me greatly ~ Eddie :)
A moving write Gail, beautifully done.
A dear tribute. God bless you.
I was also born on April 30.
Very touching Gail ~ This is moving tribute to a man who has lived his life with honesty and bravery ~ Sadly those nightmares never leave ~
Thanks for participating with Real Toads ~ Wishing you happy weekend ~
So sweet. I know the signs of the war as well. Dad was in the Bataan Death March and POW for 3 1/2 years.
Missing my Dad as well still today. He passed in 1983.
Hugs from Texas
I can imagine each war you know reminding you of those nightmares, but the man himself you describe as special and funny, as someone who had and shared honor. How wonderful. I know you miss him.
I'm sorry, Gail.
I've learned men in war never speak of it. My father never did.
Beautiful Gail just beautifully written. HUGS B
Beautifully said . . .
You write with such a powerful message.
I remember my Uncle Hugh would never ever speak of his being at Pearl Harbor . . . never . . .
Beautiful tribute to your Dad. A man we thank dearly for his service. God Bless You Dad!!
A silent strength - one that didn't shout but showed. Sweet, sweet poem.
This poems honors so lovingly...beautifully shared.
So many who served never discussed what went on and what they encountered. A good man he was!...:)JP
Gail such sad yet beautiful memory,,,, love sparkles in each syllable here... Lovely...
Lovely tribute to your father ! Thanks for sharing , Have a good weekend !
Oh Gail, this is such a beautiful tribute to your Dad. How wonderful it must have been to have a father such as he. xoxo Oma Linda
May I mention too, that I really like your blog header photo. A fine and loving tribute.
My uncle never spoke of the horrors he had seen - to protect us. But I know they impacted him greatly. A beautiful poem, Gail.
There is no grief quite like that of losing a parent, and you have channeled that in a way we all could feel, Gail.
"...he lost
Enough stripes
To be a Sargent Major."
That clinched it for me to know what kind of real soldier/role model for respect he must have been.
Great tribute!
ZQ
R.K. Garon and Kerry O'Connor: Thanks for your kind comments. I could not reply personally to them with your email.
Thank you so much.
Honor has to be the best inheritance a parent can give to a child. And to see a child valuing the it, has to be the greatest gift for the parent.
Oorah!
heartfelt, Gail ~
Your Dad passed much quality to his children. If more people lived by those few short words we would indeed have a more honorable nation, country and world. Your Dad sounds a lot like mine and my Dad would start off every story with "Between you and me and da gatepost" - we all knew a story was coming. I can take a few words from your poem and they could very well fit the young men and women of the past and those who serve today. They are family members, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, cousins, wives and husbands.....and yet, in the blink of an eye, they would be brave, show honesty and loyalty - and if needed Sacrifice, some to the end. This poem says so much Gail and it indeed touched my heart. lol
Moving tribute- I can't imagine the horrors that war vets have to live with the rest of their lives. The end of the war isn't the end of the memories or the nightmares.
Overwhelming poetry, Gail. The ghosts/memories of combat never leave, never.
a lovely tribute to a brave and caring person
i posted late
http://myblog-lunchbreak.blogspot.com/2014/07/1471.html
much love...
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