Sidney Beck Poet Free verse

Colleville Sur Mer

COLLEVILLE  SUR  MER

In uneasy rest
He faces west.
They all face west to America  -
So far away from this beach,
So very far out of reach.

He no longer feels the chinook
Nor the glance of mother’s knowing eye
Over the range on his Utah farm.
He is the son and brother
Of Omaha, Nebraska, and the Sandhills
Beckon him home.

Silence now 
The tolling of the trolley
Car bell over the Bay.
Hear only the swish of beach sand.

He dreams endlessly
In the cold Channel breeze,
From the ocean
Between him and home.

......................................................

NOTES

Colleville sur Mer  is where the American cemetery is located in France. All names on the   gravestones face west.
Omaha and Utah are the names of invasion beaches on the Channel coast 
of  France where thousands of US  soldiers died in 1944.

♡Like0

Share Poem

---

Post Comments

Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.

Please Login to post a comment

Sharon Gulley June 12, 2014 at 3:01 PM This is a lovely piece and I enjoyed it a lot. Beautiful write, thank you for sharing this very detailed and emotional poem...SharonG. Sidney Beck June 13, 2014 at 2:18 AM Thank you very much Sharon.......what initially struck me as deeply touching was my discovery that all the headstone names face west......whoever made the decision to face them this way was also a poet, I think.......thanks again.