It is Christmas in a pine grove
Holding vigil in a foxhole
Not an atheist to be found
As artillery shakes the ground
The pines adorned with crystal flecks
And pinecones as ornaments
A cardinal in all its red
Sits atop Tannenbaum's crest
A piece of fruitcake would taste great
(The regifted and given treat)
Sgt. Kilmer's words to this novice
(As I take in this conus coppice)
"Poems are made by fools like me
But only God can make a tree"
A semblance of a Gospel decree
And the "evergreen" nature of the greenery
With these Christmas trees, alone
I open my "C-rats" in my foxhole
Then pen a letter home from Bastogne
The night was not so silent, not for the soldiers at Bastogne.
'T was just before Christmas when they had to fight surrounded and alone.
"The crossroads cannot fall, " was the order to be upheld.
The winter owned the elements, but courage in hearts held.
"Nuts!" replied the commander, when he was demanded to surrender.
Even today, December '44 is etched in the things we remember.
The US, Belgium, and Luxembourg remember this together.
Lieutenant General Georgie Patton also known as "Old Blood and Guts"
Was so eccentric and egotistical that many people thought him nuts!
His armored divisions delivered relief to the beleaguered at Bastogne,
But to hear him tell it, you'da thunk the SOB had done it alone!
Robert L. Hinshaw, CMSgt, USAF, Retired
© All Rights Reserved
Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.