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POEMS BY FAYE
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OUR VETERANS : A NATIONAL TREASURE
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A Haunting
Alone sometimes at midnight.....seemingly alone......
centuries of soldiers haunt me..........assuredly they are there..... I write of war and it`s cost
And tell of battles won and lost I write of blood,death, and gore There are stories of prisoners of war Tales of the missing in action and more Stories of torture that do chill to the bone Ones of children having to be raised all alone I write of the veterans sweaty midnight screams Of the ones who are thrust back in their dreams There is a battlecry that runs though my veins And it is because of this that I take my aim It`s not because I fought,I was not there It is because the battle cry is "I care" I do not write for honor or monetary gain I write to lessen just one other of their pain ©Faye Sizemore June2002 HAVE YOU HUGGED A VET TODAY?
Last Words There he was lying in bed,a once giant of a man Fading like the roses someone had left on his stand The old veteran`s sharp eyes were slowly dimming Not much longer for him to be judged among the living The old soldier`s clock was slowly winding down He glanced up just then seeing my concerned frown This decorated veteran of Korea and Vietnam`s fray Tonight he knew he was going to have his last say 'Listen here,'he said,'death just don`t scare me Was with the First when we drove the enemy from Seoul The battles they were hot and the weather it was cold I been up Old Baldy and I fought on Pork Chop Hill,see I been to the Khe San, and the white sands of Quang Tri Where I`m going ain`t half as scary as where I`ve been Not like running and duckin` bullets at Long Binh Yes, and I`ve been to the terrible walled city of Hue Let me tell you,there, we almost got blown away I can honestly sayto you we were really put to the test If the truth be known I would really welcome some rest Listen,Friend,I don`t want nor do I need any of your tears For I haven`t slept a night of peace in nearly forty years' Then with that so said the old soldier closed his eyes in final sleep And for all of his years of torment ,I hung my head and I did weep ©Faye Sizemore August102002
Home At Last
In that place where troubles cease
Amid the graceful cemeteries peace An old soldier at last lay sleeping With an angel of marble at his grave Standing as a sentry, silently weeping And for a moment fleeting It seemed in the stillness I heard his voice, entreating Filled with longing,a seeking Staying me in my retreating 'Will they remember me with honor
When the last trumpet is sounded When the last moment is ended Will it be known that I served well When time tolls that last bell? When I came home, it was to disgrace
I served in Viet Nam with honor I went through a hell time never erased I spent my days trying to justify that place Now I wait for judgement day in this space' And in my heart, I thought to him,
God will not let your brave deeds dim You fought a battle with outcome grim It did not happen here, but, when on that golden shore
I know a heroes welcome will go on forevermore ©Faye Sizemore Apr2002
Serenity Secured
A train whistle`s lonely call in the distance
In the dark a whip-poor-will`s insistance Big wheels singing way over on the highway The bells calling the ending of another day Last drops of rain sliding off the trees
These sounds are all soothing to me They speak to me of the safety of home The canopy of night`s overhead like a dome For those who fought and died for this security
I would like to say these grateful words from me Without your sacrefices we would not be free The sounds of the night would not peaceful be I can sit here in the dark with no fear you see
Because glorious soldiers you secured it for me Words cannot tell how grateful I am for your part Just feel and know the true thanksgiving of my heart ©Faye Sizemore September2002
Haven
To escape from yesterday
Is to take shelter in today The here and now can stand Against the evil gone before It is the only thing that can Though it can not close the door My soul has been seared with terror My heart has been riddled with regret This in mind make no mistake, no error That was then,this is now ,do not forget That the life we live and loves of today Are our shields of steel against yesterday ©Faye Sizemore Apr2002
Movin` on ...Movin` Out
Movin` on...
Morning time and Dreams are gone No more cries in the night
No more horrible bloody sight No more guilt of being here With all my loved ones dear John and Bill,did not make it home I do know for me life must go on I know there is no way to atone Your memories are mine alone Old war memories do go away Hiding their face in the light of day Where they go in the day I cannot say I am so free now in the sunlight Memory of war is only a spark But I know that with the coming dark Old things will be in my sight Blessed is he who has not my plight For I will do battle again tonight Movin` out... Evening time and Memories patrol about ©Faye Sizemore July2002
A
Soldiers Question Inside myself
Seeking why Needing answers Getting no reply Why am I spared
So many are gone Out of all taken Why me alone Not one the answer
Can expose God is the only one Who knows ©Faye Sizemore June 2002
Old Man Sitting Alone
The old man sat head bowed in the morning sun I passed him every day when I took my daily run He never looked up as I went running past Just kept his head bowed not a glance was cast Fall became winter and winter spring
Still he sat silent as my footfalls would ring The stone bench where he sat was shadowed by trees I knew he came there every morning to take his ease I began to look for him every morning on my jaunt
Some days I`d wave but he always answered naught Never looking up or ever in any way acknowledging me He`d sit there just as silent as the big shady tree One time running late as past the bench I came
A young woman was there with the old man I saw that she was sitting close beside him And tenderly she was holding his hand After introducing myself and chatting there
I learned he was her father and now in her care He had been wounded in the war and was paralized This was why he didn`t speak or wave now I realized She would bring him in his wheelchair and place him here
For an hour she would let him sit in a place that was dear Her parents would sit on this bench and plan dreams so grand Years ago before her father went away to fight in a foreign land She told me her mother would sit here alone
Dreaming of how it would be when he came home Now he likes to sit here on their bench on his own Where his dear darling waited while he was gone His wife and her mother has now gone on before
Here`s where she prayed for an end to the war He liked to come and sit on the bench here Because he could feel his one true love near A salute it`s going to be from today on
As I pass him each morning on the bench alone I know he`s deserving of more than just a wave He`s one of the defenders of the home of the brave ©Faye Sizemore May2002 In the Dark...In The Light
Tender is the night,so they say But some much prefer the day For the light keeps most demons away Dark old memories are kept also at bay In the dark some return to olden days
Trying to find the error of war`s ways What`s done is gone and cannot be changed To have regret for what is past is not strange These are the somewhat lucky ones
For with the dawning light relief comes They can leave their demons in the darkness Then there are ones who live with total starkness In this starkness are those unlucky souls
Who are night and day cast in their roles Of remembering the war`s traumatic sights Those whose demons dare to come into the lights ©Faye Sizemore September232002
Taps
Against a last sunset sky
When evening time is nigh The Eternal Bugler stands
His bugle ready in his hands The sign from above awaiting
To sound taps for our lives abating For when the bugle goes to lip
It sounds for life`s final trip There is a song he plays heard upon the air
For a few moments then is no longer there ©Faye Sizemore May2002
The Last Bell
If the last general
gives the last order As we forsake the last border If the last mother gives the last son Is that when war will be done If out the last patrol
has been sent And the very last round has been spent The air with dying screams is no longer rent Will it be then that we shall repent If the last tank roars to a stop If the last plane falls from the air And the very last bomb does drop Will there be anyone left to care When the last battle is fought And the last soldier has fallen All the saints being gone to Heaven And with the evil ones staying in Hell Whom shall it be
that tolls the last bell... ©Faye Sizemore July282002 Old Glory In The Park
I saw him sittin there as I passed by
Something about him caught my eye You could tell just an old soldier waitin` Relaxed sittin alone on a stone bench Just content watchin the flag wavin` Must be his cronies are all dead and gone Today he spends most of his time alone Watchin` old glory wave from the pole in the park He spends most of his time there until dark He remembers a time of glory gone on When he was young and full of brawn `forty four, he was a young man in that year You could tell nothing still did he fear Old glory`s waving softly from the flag pole But he`s also sittin` on the park bench over there He is America`s glory ,this glorious knight of old ©Faye Sizemore Apr2002
Because
Why do I write words of war Why write of things best forgotten Why can`t I close the door I am guilty of being out of harms way
I was safe while your lives Were in danger each day There`s something the living can`t do
And that`s lie with each of the dying I trying to right a wrong Only to end up crying All I can do is pray
And to each soldier say Thank you and smile Please, let me shake your hand awhile ©Faye Sizemore Mar2002 Reminder
Memory is a noise in the night
It can even be a smell
Or a certain shade of the light It can be a piece of hell Or a heavenly delight Some memories`d be better gone
coming when we are alone Dwelling on the ones with pain should never be our aim Sometimes the dark is kind
and lets me rest my mind Remembering old friends left behind how their dear faces do shine Other times I find it is just not so
A click in the dark causes fears to grow A footstep sound in the dark sometimes causes fear to my heart The wind whistles by
Thunder rumbles nigh Lightening in the night sky Silver light through misty clouds Not easier knowing why the terror still abounds with the semblance of war sounds A quaking deep in my soul
awakening memories of old Thrust them away Just go begin a new day Much easier said then done So, forgive me,my friend Today will not be the one ©Faye Sizemore 2002
His Walk In The War
I`m home now,Mamma
I`ll never leave anymore I wasn`t gone too long Just took a walk in the war I can`t say it wasn`t so bad
And to be home I am so glad I only wish I had walked through the door But I haven`t walked ,not since the war A burden I don`t want to be
Are you crying,I wish I could see They said blind is better than dead But Mamma I may go out of my head There`ll be no more walks with Sue next door
No more, because I took a walk in the war This blind soldier seated in a wheel chair Would be more than a young girl could bare Mama,I wish I could see, are you crying there
Mama,dry your tears,don`t cry anymore It`s over, I`ve done my American chore I am home ,I`ve done my walk in the war ©Faye Sizemore September72002
Fire Rain
Death and fire
Nothing but ... fire and death Licking reaching, tongues of flames The wildfire rages out of control Acres behind it and homes in it`s path Choking smoke filling the air Nothing alive can stay here Firechoppers overhead carrying Water to dump on the fire A firefighter on the ground Pauses when he hears the sound And remembers another time Another place, another race with death A time when the choppers spewed bullets Instead of fire stopping water And Puff The Magic Dragon Breathing napalm made his rounds Bringing fire and death Nothing but... fire and death ©Faye Sizemore July72002
Old Fellas`
The hills of home stand high
To protect them I was ready to die When I grew up a soldier I became That is how and why I became lame In a battle I was injured long ago Thus did begin my tale of woe At the Soldiers Home it`s been said Sometimes I have nightmares in my bed I don`t remember any dreams It`s really for the best it seems What I remember is other`s screams I have heard those of ol`man Joe He`s here , he has no where else to go And then there`s my friend Bill If he can keep us awake he will On crutches Johnny can go Sometimes He thinks I am slow We go down to the town sguare Just to get us some morning air We sit together so we won`t be alone And admire the view of the hills of home ©Faye Sizemore June 2002
A Soldier`s Old Ghosts
Through the drifting
Mists of time Quietly come These ghosts of thine Come to censure
Come to plead Come to cause Memory to bleed Suddenly
They are there Returning Because you care Out of the memories
Of thirty odd years The ghosts still walk Carrying your tears The uncaring
Have a wall They are not Visited at all If I could change
the acts of time Banish your ghosts With this rhyme There would not
Have been a war To make Your heart so sore All your memories
would be happy inside For if there was no war No one would have died There would be no ghosts
To worry caring hosts ©Faye Sizemore 2002
Intruder
There is an intruder who whispers in my ear
Softly... sadly...this is what I hear... 'Let me walk in your memory Just let me stay awhile ....For yours are the ones Which can made me smile You remember the good times ...... I can`t forget the bad Your memories make me glad ...... Mine only make me sad Let me rest awhile in your dreams... Escape my nightmares... erase my screams' I said "come in, my friend" I find my peace now at an end For now with his screams... My own... I blend... ©Faye Sizemore Apr2002
Intruder ll
I must flee
Places I have never been Are haunting me I should flee I know not where For the pain I never felt I cannot bear I will not flee Strange emotions beckon I have spent eternity In this one second I can not flee Did you know how Painful it would be Dearest God above When you created Compassion and love ©Faye Sizemore Apr2002
Guards At The Bridge
I dreamed I was dead, my life done
People were marching, one by one Marching to a wide river with a long bridge I could hear celebrating just over the ridge This wasn`t like the story I was told
The bridge was huge and made of gold At the bridge armed soldier guards stood I started to pass across as I thought I should When one of the soldiers caught my eye
I had known him and I had seen him die Bill,old buddy'I said,' it`s good to see you here' He smiled at me and I saw the trickle of a tear 'Thanks,'he said 'for keeping me within your heart'
He handed me his rifle and started to depart 'Wait,Bill,I want to go on across beside you Don`t leave me here, I don`t know what to do' He smiled,'these are the last steps of the last mile
As I did,and we all, you must stand guard here awhile Be ever faithful, be ever watchful, be ever true Until across comes a brother who has remembered you' ©Faye Sizemore August282002
Gratitude Brave soldiers,no mistake
I stand in the peace of your wake Your service for us was great You fought on even though you did tire Though your brothers were being heaped in battle upon the funeral pyre There were those that fought with no care
Where they went only the bravest would dare Your steps though tired did not falter All I can offer are these words of thanks Just a sacrifice of grateful thoughts Placed here upon this paper altar ©Faye Sizemore September2002
Journey
Thirty three years
Is a long time For a heart on sorrow to dine Movin` on Tears of yesteryears
Can only cloud the dreams of today Movin`on... Come with me
Take my hand and take a stand Movin` on Do not waste today
lost in yesterday Tomorrow is the way Movin` on Our brothers have gone
We must catch up Or be left here alone Movin`on The sun is bright
Come along Follow the light Movin`on Yesterday was dark
Let memories linger in the heart Movin` on Our cause was just
Our war is over Come with us Movin`on ©Faye Sizemore August192002
What The Wind Knows
A cold wind seeks it`s lonely path down the city`s concrete corridors and like a lover coming home creeping snuggles up to a man who sinks farther down against the alley wall in his ragged vest and shivers The chilly evening
is still young
but there is not much to stay awake for when you are a street bum The last drop is gone from the bottle Now sleep is the only defense he has against the ever recuring scenes Memories of combat,another far away fight for life
Too much,too much, not far enough down the line He still hears the screams, ,still sees the dying and the ones begging for death,dear Lord,dear Lord VA would take him in, but no, he`s not going through that again He could go down to the corner and tell another Vietnam story
If his tale is interesting enough he can get a swig on their bottle just enough to loosen his tongue some more But lately the dreams of the things he remembers are starting to last longer and are getting stronger so he just hunkers down and looses himself in the wind`s caress
© Faye Sizemore December82002
*Manning McWhorter
He is wrinkled and his
hair is white as snow
Eighty plus years he has seen come and go A true southern gentleman,not the kind for show Always shakes your hand like he`ll never let go He likes to talk and has alot to say Talk goes from life to funerals gone before And through the forties and the big war He
said 'now I`m headed toward December
And when the day does come I do die I hope my obituary does remember To include I was awarded a Bronze Star I`d like it known when I`ve gone on that I was proud of what we done away across the ocean over there World War Two is long ,long gone It was just in our orders there to roam though lots of us never did come home'
He straightens his shoulders
as remembering with a sigh all those who had said goodbyes and I glimpse in his sharp clear eyes just like a glitter of precious gold, the steel still in this old warrior`s soul ©Faye Sizemore December272002 *Manning Mcwhorter is still with us, and
in his own words 'all a vet wants after all, is to be remembered' |
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Friday April 11, 2025 19:08
Last updated on 7/5/2006, 12:41:57 AM
These poems are all the copyrighted property of the
author and may not be used without permission
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