Email Poem

Your IP Address: 216.73.216.56
Your Email Address:
To Email Address:
Subject
Personal Note:
Poem Title:
Poem
Japanese??

Here ... in Pearl Harbor?!? This must be a nightmare ...
It can't be real - I can't have seen that, yet here I am,
In my bunk cabin on the ship, with only a foot of air-

Space left, and the water rising, my buddy looking me
In the eyes for answers, but I have none ... we swam
Down three times - separately - looking for a way out,

But all was underwater, this, the only air left. But we're
Right under the deck and we've been hearing the sounds
Of activity for a half-hour now. Almost immediately after

The bombs landed she went down, straight down, like
A stone in a pond. But who would have thought THIS?
How could we have prepared? The Japs at Pearl?? The

Entire fleet lined up just as pretty-as-you-please, sitting
Ducks! And how did they keep the torpedoes so shallow?
They put wooden fins on the tails so they wouldn't hit

The harbor bottom ... there's one here with us that
Didn't explode, and it's ingenious! Ingenious!! I hear
A torch now trying toi cut through - they heard our

Banging, I've been using a fire extinguisher, my buddy
Using the fire axe, banging on the top of our quarters,
Sending Morse to the rescuers on deck, telling them the

Water is rising fast. But now they're cutting with torches,
And that should DO it - that should get us out in time!
Come ON guys, cut! Please!! We're still alive with air, still

Banging, praying, hoping! I look at my buddy and he's
Smiling, cuz the first sparks of the cutting torch are
Coming through! We're going to get out of here after

All!! We're not going to drown in this tin can!! Take THAT
Japs - you can't sink us all!! Two of the torch cuts join
And a flap of steel falls through, not very big but I can

Reach my hand up through ... I reach up and I feel
Another hand grasp mine from up on deck - one of the
Rescuers, one of my mates!! But WAIT!! I feel ... I feel ...

Rushing air - rushing UP!! No ... oh, dear God, NO!!
The small opening they made to start the cutting is
Letting the air out!! NO!! We were saved! We were

Going to be OK!!! But the air is rushing out ... oh, God,
We're done!! We're NOT going to make it! I look at my
Buddy and he's white ... white as a ghost ... as am I.

The cold water rushes up now and he reaches through
The hole with me ... he's scraping at the ceiling with
His other hand, but I try to get him to calm down ...

I keep saying it's OK over-and-over, until I can't say it
Anymore, but he screams and screams ... then
Chokes and is finally quiet. I take one last breath

And I squeeze the rescuer's hand ... he squeezes back.
Even though I can't see his face, and he can't see mine,
We are tied forever by a hand shake, the last warm

Thing I feel as our cabin fills ... and gets dark, save
For a little shaft of light that peeks through the hole
They made, where my arm goes up through, and my

Dead buddy's ... I hold and hold my breath - I was
The best at that in high school - almost three minutes
I could hold my breath ... three minutes ... three

Minutes ... they seem to last forever as my life replays
In my head like a movie. That's IT ... I finally fill my
Lungs with the cold water of Pearl Harbor, the crystal

Clear, gorgeous, tropical waters of Pearl ... I say a
Prayer for my wife and child ... oh, my folks will be
Sad now, such a sad Christmas coming for them ...

My body gets warm as my mind goes dark ... I
Squeeze the hand, it squeezes back ... thank you for
Trying ... don't feel bad ... thank you ... goodbye ...

Good ...
CAPTCHA Preview
Type the characters you see in the picture
Required