Best Rescue Poems
Sand dunes, nothing but sand dunes,
Some large, some small.
And the sun burning over the terrain.
No oasis, not even a mirage of one.
The last drop would not quench the thirst
He felt it in his soul. For now
She was dead and buried
And his soul was barren like the desert.
He would die, lost among the dunes
With no water for survival.
Fool. He could make it.
He was like an eagle.
Searching to drink water.
Yet he was no eagle and soon fell
Sand clinging to his face covered with sweat.
Opening his eyes he saw the viper.
All would be lost now.
A swish as a hawk picked the viper away.
He fainted and opened his eyes in a tent.
He was safe except for his silent sad soul.
She sat on a small window bench
Her head resting on her hand
Looking out into the dark glooming
As the silvery moon rose to shine
On the rippling waves of the bay.
It seems she was winkling at her.
Telling her not to give up hope,
On the horizon sailed a large boat.
A red light flashing every now and then.
Was it in distress? Was there something wrong?
She phoned for help the harbour manager of the bay.
Soon small ships raced to the yacht,
The captain cursed himself for forgetting the flares.
Still with help of all, the yacht was towed to harbour
And all was safe and sound.
The feverous glow of growing sunrise,
Reminded the captain to thank his rescuer.
And what a sight it was to see the beauty
Spying on her luxury yacht.
She was invited to dinner on the boat
And love was in the air. And why not?
She was a Venus descended from up above.
Come lads he says we are needed
Some poor soul is lost tonight
Let’s fill the barrel with brandy
A life saver to a cold fright
I have the lantern to guide us
Your noses must do the rest
Careful as we walk the ice flow
Jack Frost has given us a test
Hat pulled down, collar up
I walk my dogs to search and find
For a poor soul trapped in the snow
Hoping against hope to be there in time
Came across a bundle of rags
It was the remains of the poor lost walker
No more did he need the brandy
His soul had returned to its maker
Based on John Emms St Bernard's to the Rescue painting
Titanic down
Lifeboats adrift
Many saved
Many missed
On the scene " The Carpathia "
To the saved ones
The real White Star
Off she steams
New York ahead
Leaving behind many dead
Pier 54 this saviour docks
As New Yorkers race to flock
To witness survivors of this tragic ship
On her Maiden Voyage did she trip
April 14th, 1912 she shone
April 15th, 1912 she was gone.
Animals saving animals from death
As they step in to lend a helping "hand"
For creatures on the brink of their last breath
These acts of kindness are surely quite grand
A brown bear steps in, saves a drowning crow
Plucking it out the water with its paws
A deer is saved by a kindly hippo
Keeping it out of a crocodile's jaws
A gorilla's quick actions saves a boy
Who, into its enclosure he had fell
Without the quick actions he did employ
The lad may not be here, the tale to tell
Into these acts of kindness our mind delves
But who saves humanity from themselves?
- - - -
11-13-17
Stranded in war torn Sudan,
Dreading yet another dawn.
In Wadi Sayyidna town,
Hopelessness was weighing down.
Men and women, young and old,
Watched the civil war unfold.
Homeless, desperate, full of fear,
Longing for their near and dear.
Then on 27th April night,
A C-130J took flight.
Manned by pilots skilled and brave,
Tasked to rescue and to save.
They were flying almost blind,
No navigation aids would they find.
Degraded strip, no landing lights
In the darkness of the night.
Infrared sensors scanned the ground;
No inimical force was found.
Using goggles for night vision,
Thay carried out their tough mission.
An enthralling tale had begun;
Six score passengers and one
Shepherded onto the plane.
Headed for their homes again.
Valor of the highest kind,
Audacity was redefined.
The Hercules and its brave crew
Achieved a feat of derring-do.
India's vaunted military might,
Wrote another chapter bright
In our valiant history;
There for all the world to see.
Written by Colonel Ramanan Duraiswami
AMC,Rtd
29th April 2023.
i stood alone
you came along
and rescued me
when i didn't know
i needed rescuing
Published in my 24-page photo/anthology book ~LOVE BITS AND BITES~ 2023
AP: Honorable Mention 2022
Torn in silence
night covers bygone fantasies
in rescue of dreams
In snow and mud stuck off the road
On hill—we killed anti-skid mode
Then cleaned your tire tread
And rocked straight ahead
So now you've no need to be towed!
You can’t want it
More than they do
Stop meddling
You’re not helping
When they clearly
Don’t want your help
I understand
It’s inconceivable
That they refuse
To be as happy as you
It’s one of life’s mysteries
How some would rather
Wallow in their misery
Stop meddling
You can’t want it
More than they do
AP: Honorable Mention 2020
Posted on February 22, 2019
I rescue pups,
I always have.
Their eyes thank me.
Cats follow me.
They always have.
No thanks at all.
My man and I.
Rescue each other.
Always have.
The rain came and pummelled her. She did not stop walking.
A tree limb fell, knocking her down. She got back up.
Lightning came, but she did not fold, she was too determined.
A man stopped and tried to give her a lift. She said "no thank you."
She had already seen what some men do, and she wanted none of it.
He called her names, shook his fist. She was glad she had said no.
A flood came and she walked on higher land. Careful of the violets.
The evening came, and the wolves howled. She howled with them.
She walked until she could walk no more, leaving all her stuff behind.
Only things, not her child. Her child was with her, vigilant, watching.
"He was a bad man," her child said. She barely nodded, knowing.
They curled up together, safe for the first night. Wolves stood guard.
82571 lima echo alfa juliet please respond.82571 lima echo alfa juliet are you there?
This is Harry who's this? Its Tom Mansfield. Tom you realize its 11:30 P.M. Sorry we have 5 climbers missing on the north side of Mooseluck and there has been an avalanche in
that area. Yea I thought I heard it earlier. I'm on my way up to Your place now Tom do you have an extra battery pack for the lamp mine's pretty low. Yep. I have
Billy Williams with me, You have extra gear for him. Yep. I'll put the coffee on What's your ETA? 20 minutes. This is 82571 lima echo alfa juliet signing off.
I'll never understand why these Dartmouth students have to mountain climb on the coldest day of the year, in a storm. Ok snowshoes, therma wraps, lamps, goggles and a map.Waiting for what seems like Hours I hear the bronco finally.
Tom, Billy I was just going to bed when YOU called, What do we have? Four men and a women Headed up Demon's Bluff 10 a.m. this morning. A women they're usually more level headed than men. According to the Information we have they are all seasoned vets at rock climbing In the winter time?? They were suppose to be back by 4P.M. 4pm why are we just hearing about it now. Gregg Tilman was the co-ordinator of a college dance, when he didn't show up to MC the dance we got called. It gets worst the only other name we have is his girlfriend, Elizabeth Townsend. I think it's going to be a long night Tom. Absorb the heat from the wood stove finish your coffee and dress warm
To be Cont.
He seemed very much like those white dogs before,
With a raggedy coat, pointed ears and much more.
But the likeness soon ended to those dogs gone away.
For he'd never known kindness or love in his day.
He didn't know words, didn't even know stairs.
His nose, from the kennel, was chaffed of its hair.
Boredom was passed licking fur from his paws.
The pads on his feet bordered long, ragged claws.
He paced back and forth mostly all of each day:
Slept in a tight ball to keep cold nights away.
Wary of children and grown men alike:
Startling sounds made him cringe out of sight.
He was hungry and thin: I could feel every bone.
He stayed by me like glue and was scared left alone.
He wolfed down his food in an uneasy rush.
He didn't know combs and felt fear of the brush.
But time has now passed since the dog came to stay
From that harsh, lonely kennel on a hill far away.
This little white dog now seems mostly like them:
Those former white terriers, my sweet, loyal friends.
He now spends his time . . like before . . by my side.
But something has changed, for he's not there to hide.
With all of this good there is even much more.
He now plays with his toys and will ask for the door.
He eats with good manners, sleeps sound in his bed:
Stretched out in contentment, fun dreams in his head.
He loves his car outings and with each early spring,
Explores the old pathways our daily walk brings.
I'm so happy to have him, as he sits on my lap,
Or sleeps by my chair for his afternoon nap.
He never will know all of the bad things again.
His life will be happy with me as his friend.
Yet as good as it's been for this dog to find me.
To learn love and to trust and from anguish be free.
I too have been blessed one more time from above,
By Him sending another white dog here to love.
Rescue Me
Yesterday is gone away
I look but all I see.
Are dreams left for tomorrow
and things that used to be.
I tried I cried sometimes denied
the things that I once wanted.
Living in the yesterdays
by which I'm sometimes haunted.
Carried now up in the clouds
that float so high above me.
I learned from the bridges burned
the time has come to love me.
Cast my burdens in the wind
and leave behind my sorrow.
To be the man I hoped to be
just one more chance tomorrow.
Letting go of tragedy
and breaking chains that bound me.
Reaching for what lies ahead
so happy that it found me.
So I see the setting sun,
I stand to see it rise.
I watch it all both rise and fall
no teardrops in my eyes.
Holding on to hope somehow
like a ship that's lost at sea.
That at last the time has come
someone might rescue me.
Edwin C Hofert