To Give
They give to us their future ... submit to us tender years,
bequeath to us days which do not hold the measure of realization,
lives that fly the course of intimacy with one definitive breath
They give
hopes whose run will no longer chase a callow heart
until that heart winds a promised path
To own
none but these unpolished days
faith and silence press time upon their heavy lids
a shadow of tomorrow,
the measure of what road laid ahead before this hour
A brother’s arms to embrace
a brother’s hand to release
trickle of water over lips
High sun blinds as he’s tossed into the air.
Wiggling,
laughing too loud
he lands in his father’s hands.
One more time Daddy. . . One more time.
as sands sift through fingers
Give
Your tears
Give
A prayer of evolution
copywrite jeanne rené 11/04
~ There much more than just this page ... so please wander through the archives
My dad in the Phillipines during WWII...
Thank you to my father, Eugene (Navy Sea Bees) ... my father-in-law, Dwight (Navy) ... my Uncle Joe (Army) .... my Uncle Gene (Air Force) - all WWII vets.
Thank to my Uncle John ... who served during the Cold War: Army
Thank to my husband, Marty ... who served during the Viet Nam War: Army
Thank you to my son, Johnny, now serving: Marines ....
... and to his long time friends George & Brian now serving: Marines
Thank you to our friend, Camille and her husband Mike ... now serving: Navy
Thank you to our neighbors, Bill and Alex now serving: Army ......
...and friend of the family, Eric : Marines
Thank you to all who have served and are now serving in our armed forces. Thank you for faithfully and selflessly protecting our freedom . God Bless.
I there is anyone you would like to thank on this Veterans' Day ... please feel free to do so here.
a silence . . . without name
he slips out of penny-loafers,
shiny new coin catching his eye
tugs at woolen socks
tucking them deep into the toe
shoes dangling from two fingers
God is quiet
so he stands as if time has ended
he and the sea suspended in its ebb, waiting to surge
gulls shriek over head
setting free the flow
and he studies their commotion squint-eyed
against the declining sun
placing his shoes gently on the sand
he rights himself
cursing his arthritis
with a hand on his hip
and so begins
one step at a time
one foot falls front of the other
the walk into this final baptism
cleansed
khakis clinging to his calves
toes gripping the sand
he remembers the force of the tide
on the sea’s horizon
he spies God’s sails ~ as he did then
and his eye is captive
he turns
scrutinizing the shore
"here . . .
as far as one could see”
huddled
the silenced and littered ... assembled,
gawking into the face of humanity
lip quivers
chin drops
looking down at the sea grasses
now wrapped around his legs
he abides in the truth
"it was here"
he first prayed
but today
turning his back to the surf
he listens to the reply
of the breaking waves
and the shifting sands
of Normandy
Copywrite jeanne rené 11.05
Tags:
thank you, veterans day 2008
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