We Took the Bridge
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[This poem was orignally written and read on Memorial Day to commemorate the lives of our valiant soldiers who fought in World War II. My father served with the U. S. Navy in the Philippines during that awful conflagration.]
We took the bridge of San Luis Rey
And stood on the beach at Manila Bay
We bellied down in the soggy lea
And creeped across the churning sea.
In every clime where men were chained
We stormed the walls until we gained
For every man--freedom unconditionally
We sang the songs of victory.
We then came home to repossess
A measure of our happiness
We met our sweethearts at the pier
And shoved our lives into high gear.
We raised our sons to face the task
To strongly covet the patriot's mask
We taught them how to raze and bomb
And sent them off to Viet Nam.
Now we wonder, but we trust
Their cause, as ours, is just as just
We want our sons to know this part:
War's task is close to freedom's heart.
[from The Lady in the Pink Hat, Candor Press, 1969]
Copyright © L Milton Hankins | Year Posted 2021
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