Best Arlington Poems
A Little Hill in Arlington
There’s a little hill in Arlington
Where no bodies are interred
Yet crosses dot the hillside
And Taps are sometimes heard
Unlike the Unknown Soldier
With “unknowns” in the ground
This little hill in Arlington
Is for soldiers never found
I grew up without a father
He was gone when I was four
Flying for the Air Force
Back in the Korean War
His plane was ore’ the Azores
When communications ceased
The search went on for days and days
They never found a piece
My mother raised four children
Each day she learned to cope
She said until a body’s found
We’d never give up hope
The years went by just waiting
And my mother, bless her soul
Held on until her very end
To a grieving widow’s role
For fifty years we children
Had no resting place for Dad
No gravesite and no marker
No closure ever had
Then on little hill in Arlington
Where no bodies are interred
We raised a simple white cross
Dad’s Taps were finally heard
My big sister got the folded flag
And we all shed the tears
That had been bottled up inside us
For all those fifty years
Now Dad, he has a resting place
With other fallen sons
On a quiet little hillside
Right here in Arlington
Categories:
arlington, death, family, father, funeral,
Form:
Rhyme
Row by row for miles it seems
perfectly aligned, the white stones rise
Stoic symbols of brave men and women
a sight that brings tears to our eyes
In irony, a bald eagle rests
atop a single grave marker
He seems to know that each life snuffed
leaves our world a bit darker
Changing of the guard
at the tomb of an unknown warrior
Precise, rigid, respectful
performed with utmost honor
Who's buried there?
Fathers, husbands, even wives
This tomb represents all lost in action
as they gave their lives
On the far side of Arlington
an eternal flame is still aglow
For an assassinated president
JFK - another war hero
You cannot visit the cemetery
without shedding tears
For the noble and brave young soldiers
whose sacrifices secured our years
Yes, years, decades, centuries
of feeling safe on U.S. shores
Came with the hefty price
countless casualties of wars
As sunset darkens their resting place
let’s raise our eyes to the sky
Praying our troops return safely
and, in peace, the eagle will fly
July 12, 2014
*Dedicated to all of the men and women who have preserved our freedom.
Categories:
arlington, military, patriotic,
Form:
Rhyme
Spread out below the home of Custis-Lee
Its rolling hills of hallowed heroes flow
In dark times there’s no better place to be
As sunrise sets the ashen stones aglow
And whether at the flame or at the tomb
Of those of promise shrouded young with death
There echoes in my ears the cannon’s boom
Proclaiming blessed ones who’ve drawn last breath
The famous men and women there now sleep
Victorious, now needing quiet peace
And with their lowly siblings’ spirits weep
All hoping that the days of war will cease
I long to walk those sacred paths again
In Arlington abide the best of men
Categories:
arlington, beauty, memory, sad,
Form:
Sonnet
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
by
Robert E. Welch, Sr.
May 18, 2016
The Honor Guard goes slowly by
As another’s laid to rest.
The bugle’s call hangs in the sky
Farewell to America’s best.
Look upon this solemn sight
Beneath the clear blue sky.
Markers of the purest white,
In silent rows they lie.
A gentle breeze goes drifting by,
Cause flags to wave anew.
And as the warming sun grows high,
It dries the morning dew.
The stillness falls upon the ear
With reverence sad and deep.
We walk among them, far and near,
Those in eternal sleep.
The changing of the guard goes on,
In weather foul and fair.
To honor those that are unknown
And respect those lying there.
Categories:
arlington, memorial, memorial day, memory,
Form:
Rhyme
Six Flags Over Texas has been America's favorite theme park since 1961. It was developed
in Arlington, Texas. This theme park is so great, so awesome, it's like going to the Walt
Disney Resort in Orlando Florida. It's got a lot of rides, like, the Texas Giant, the
Batman ride, the Superman Ride, and stuff. At Six Flags, there's also a lot of Looney
Tunes characters, like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tweety Bird, Elmur Fudd, and other Warner
Bros. characters. How awesome is that? Six Flags' got lots of shops and an arcade, and
lots of tasty food. I heard that it's got a steam train with two train stations, even when
he and/or she gets off the train to go on one of the rides. This is why everybody loves
going to Six Flags Over Texas, even in the summer time. Looks like I'll be going back to
Six Flags Over Texas in my beloved Arlington. I wish the visits to Six flags Over Texas
were endless, as in, to be unlimited, forever.
Categories:
arlington, on writing and words
Form:
Ode
A wreath is laid upon each soldier's grave
Christmas time at Arlington
A tribute to the brave
Krazy Kimo Contest
12/16/2011
Categories:
arlington, holiday, life, loss,
Form:
Kimo
Arlington
Row upon row
as if grown from the green carpet
they stand starkly white at attention.
Mute sentinels in the drenching sunlight.
Although rooted and still,
in martial regiments, they march endlessly
to the joining of blue sky and green grass carpet.
Those who come here
find the etched places, the names;
the beginnings and the endings.
Those who are here
cannot see, but only rest.
At least that is what we who are the living think,
although perhaps those who are here
Turn restlessly at night and dream.
Flag draped, veiled tears,
percussion cap volley,
the little girl sobs
wrapped in the arms of her mother, his wife.
Categories:
arlington, soldier,
Form:
Free verse
—Memorial Day Elegy—
The grave site
where the men and women of patriotic spirit fought bravely
in the battlefield and fell for glory of the nation,
abandoned everything that they have, buried
at an age that is too young to die lie as headstones.
No matter with how many brilliantly shining medals
to decorate these warriors
and to honor them with all kinds of eulogies,
alas! sad as ever, they just stand there without a word
as the tombstones identical in size and shape.
The warriors were, though, not that strict
that evil must be paid with evil and good must treat with good,
held arms because the nation was attacked by the enemy,
and security was at stake;
to them, it doesn’t matter whether it is good or evil,
they have to restore this national emergency
with whatever means available.
The warriors, therefore, without the slightest hesitation,
dashed in the middle of the gun smoke and bullets,
into the battlefield where the cannonade tears the ears,
and blasting fires pierce the eyes.
The warriors,
who fought with every means to protect nation,
even traded their lives for nation’s security,
now stand there as the tombstones
with relief and great pride,
looking proudly at the fluttering nation’s flag,
that they protected with all that they have;
during the day
beckoning the passing clouds,
at the night
calling twinkling stars,
telling the stories of how gruesome was the battle
and how hard it was to fight.
Categories:
arlington, death, eulogy, patriotic, peace,
Form:
Elegy
Beneath the rows of crosses
In Arlington’s hallowed ground
And under little white stones
Lie heroes safe and sound
As far as the eye can see
Amid the towering trees
Tiny flags fly proudly
Swaying softly in the breeze
Even when storm clouds gather
The sound of taps rings true
With a twenty one gun salute
To bid a final adieu
Many famous warriors
Whose exploits we have read
Lie side by side with heroes
Unknown among the dead
The crosses guard you well
The spirit of God is all around
Sleep well my dearest brother
At peace in this sacred ground
Copyright©2011 Beatrice Boyle
(All rights reserved)
Categories:
arlington, death,
Form:
Rhyme
Above the clouds in many splendored hues of blue and white
This view beheld by an honored and rarest few
A nations treasure lies below in marble and in green
Yet no dome or obelisk could ever be this hallowed
Like a great bird it claws across the sky
A meeting calls: a friend in need
Its mighty engines crash through the silent morning sky
Its shrieks but music to all who know and remember well
The many come to take her place are fallen
This Daedalus lives on to tell their tales and more
Through younger eyes she gleamed in sun drenched silvers high above the clouds
Now bathed in grays she lingers on to battles unimagined in her youth
Lightened of the tools of war her peaceful mission now to do
She’s come to pay her last respects
And as she dipped and turned away
A sweet release and something more
A soul was taken from this world
And carried to the arms of God
© 2014 by Craig McAlister
Flyover by B-52H serial 0060 "Iron Butterfly" at Arlington National Cemetery on January 7, 2008.
Categories:
arlington, dad, eulogy, flying, funeral,
Form:
Free verse
An army in green
fields,
ever vigilant, ever
silent, ever still.
Their honor ever
their shields,
falter, they never
will.
They've fought their
fight,
served how and when
they were needed.
They've earned their
reprieve from the
harsh, glaring
light,
but their post,
after all this time,
they still haven't
ceded.
Stones, shaped to
stand and dressed in
white,
mark where they lie,
mute through the
years.
Not voiceless,
though, for there
are those who
remember their
fight;
when called on by
one such in need,
their steadfastness
appears.
Carrying on their
legacy, are those
who continue to add
to their venerated
ranks.
Some call them
soldiers, some fools
and some heroes;
some see the endless
marble formation and
give thanks.
Down the somber rows
reflective feet
tread,
seeking friends,
family, or simply to
respect those who
gave all.
Regardless of race,
gender, creed,
religion, or
homestead,
ever onward, kin
they are; ever
together they stand
tall.
Never forget why
they're in those
green fields; the
battlefields they
crossed,
the kin they left
behind, to grieve
and remember.
Regret young and old
gone too soon,
innocence and family
forever lost,
but don't begrudge
their sacrifice -
with our lives burns
their eternal ember.
Categories:
arlington, death, family, grave, hero,
Form:
Rhyme
Arlington Tombstone
The dash in the middle, the length of a life
No mention of children, no mention of wife
No mention of war, no mention of peace
Just the day that life started, the day that it ceased
The symbols and words etched there on the stone
Are all that we have maybe all that is known
Medals awarded, a cluster or two
No explanation of what did he do
Was he a hero, did his luck just run out
Did he die all alone or with buddies about
The name on the tombstone, a man in my life
My sisters his children, my mother his wife
Categories:
arlington, dad, death,
Form:
Rhyme
What's so great about Arlington, Texas, is that of it's suburban community. It's got
everything one person can ask for: a built-in movie theater at the Parks Mall, an awesome
shopping center, better homes, and, at long last, an NFL stadium. If by "NFL stadium," I'm
talking about Cowboys Stadium. I even know that Arlington is home to Six Flags Over Texas.
I've known Arlington, Texas, since I was 8 years old. That's where I should've been from
day one. I love Arlington because of its suburban culture and amazing shops. I've been in
Arlington, Texas, for multiple occasions. And out of those multiple occasions, one of them
was when I'd spent all of the weekends out of the months. Although Arlington has a lot of
crime as well as the ones in Dallas, I think that being a resident in Arlington, Texas,
would be great. I bet that I'll be going to the Ballpark at Arlington to see the Texas
Rangers play against the other MLB team, making it my first Texas Rangers Baseball game,
ever. Arlington, Texas, is considered my favorite suburban town, and I love Arlington. I
also bet that I'll be going to the Parks Mall every weekend. And since I'm a native of
Arlington, Texas, I guess I don't want to be separated from my beloved suburban town. I
wonder if the Dallas/Ft. Worth area were to be united as one town?
Categories:
arlington, on writing and wordslove,
Form:
Epic
With the Christmas season upon us, I wanted to share as many of my Christmas themed poems as I could this month. Hope you all enjoy reading them as much as I did writing them.
Arlington Christmas
They stand there in ranks
Straight up and tall
Just like the day
When they answered the call
Row upon row
Section by section
They gave us their all
Without an exception
Some names are unknown
Some known are not there
But all get a marker
To show that we care
You see Army and Navy
Air Force and Marine
Privates to Presidents
And those in between
From Civil War soldiers
To Afghanistan
We honor our fallen
Every woman and man
And every Christmas
We lay on a wreath
To remember the soldier
That lies there beneath
As I gaze o’re the graveyard
Of green wreaths on stone
I know that no family
Will e’re grieve alone
For this country remembers
And honors each year
All those who have fallen
And are resting right here
Mdailey
Categories:
arlington, christmas, memory, places, christmas,
Form:
Rhyme
Beneath this green and grassy field
Whence ghosts of heroes past doth shield;
Lie noble relics of flesh and bone,
To each bequeathed a marble stone.
And as you walk amongst the rows
May you learn what each one here knows;
O that freedom should not be lost,
All who lie here have paid the cost.
Categories:
arlington, death, history, war,
Form:
Epitaph