Long Okinawa Poems

THE GREATEST GENERATION
by

JOHN M. ARRIBAS



Many Have Called Them the Greatest Generation
They Had Struggled and Survived, an Ugly Depression
It Was an Era of Hard Times and Simple Diversions
Like Bank Night, Singalongs  and Picnic Excursions
Band Concerts...

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Home is where the heart is,
Or so the saying goes.
There Is really much more than this,
As everyone, surely, knows.

Home is where you hang your hat,
Is another slogan that Is nifty.
There’s much, much more than that
In...

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My Dad Was Just a Lad
Part 2

He was on a brand new ship,
The USS Horace Bass,
The KEEL was laid in ‘44
APD would be her class.

With a crew of over 200 strong,
But for most, their first...

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Blueberry and cherry, and home-made apple pie,
Country girls bake them, the apple of your eye;
Each pie’s got a number—which one will you choose?
Look at all those country girls, looking right at you.

It’s a Pie-Supper Summer,...

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There have been times in our land
When our nation has had to take a stand.

It first began at Bunker's Hill
Where so many men were then killed.

All through that war with the British King
Men here in...

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the year that was

January 

The world watches in amazement
Longest shut down in history
Watching it all in Korea
contemplating escaping the cold winter

February 

World watches as North Korea and the US
Walking back from the brink of war
escaping...

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Signs
everywhere in Asia
you see strange variations
of English
Japlish, Konglish, Singlish

the street signs in Okinawa
are all in Chinese, Japanese, English and Koreans
the bus and train announcements as well

Hard to get lost 
even when you want to

but the...

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the Terrifying Teens

2010 

The dark days of the great recession
Begin slowly to fade away
Ending my Barbados experience -the best job in the foreign service  on high note best labor officer award


2011 

the president and...

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Okinawa War thoughts

these dark moods
follow me 
as I tour Okinawa

where the last battles 
of world war 11 were fought

thousands died
in the first 
and last outpost
of the American East Asian Empire


Okinawa Beckons me

Okinawa Japan
kept calling to...

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I researched the earth's endangered species list and this is what I found.
There's everything on the list from A to Z - rare species just abound!
I'll highlight some of the more interesting varieties just to...

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MEMORIAL DAY 
June 1, 2015

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To all of you that have ever worn
"THE UNIFORM"
The Uniform of safety and security,
 The Uniform of pride and liberty
THE UNIFORM OF FREEDOM

THE UNIFORM OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THANK YOU

Thank...

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A TRIBUTE TO MY BROTHER HUBERT W. HINSHAW, T/SGT, U. S. ARMY
                       ...

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Knowledge is frightening, and it is far too
late to return to that stage of ignorance in my 
black metal framed bed. Right by the staircase
a long empty dark basement, my toes tingling 
from the cold....

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Nothing warms the cockles of the heart like a cheery, "Hello!"
'Twill put a spring in your step and set your face aglow!
'Tis nice to hear a southern lass say, "Hi, shuga, how y'all!"
Or be greeted...

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#One should be cautious in starting a war, but 
once begun, it should be carried out thoroughly#

     #Quote by Hirohito circa Dec 1942#

        ...

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Help me save just one
They are so many
I have reason for no gun
I refuse the use of any
Use me to carry him
On my back to safety
It’s now dark, dim
Just one, help me
To what am I...

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At Pearl Harbor I was a Second Class Gunner’s Mate, 
On the USS LCS(L)-53, it was my home straight, 
And we had radar picket duty with my proud gun,
Between Okinawa and Japan, my 20mm connon.

Unfortunately,...

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Freedom aint Freedom, said the gravelly Voice
the beauty of Freedom is that it gives you a Choice
the symbol of Freedom lies in Old Glory
Normandy, Okinawa, Vietnam and many like Stories

Freedom is more than appearance
Freedom is...

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R Roseta is famous now, Italian town, beautifully "backward"
O Okinawa, Japan, shared health wonders with Roseta 
S Science proves both sides: Lonely folks "smoke" 15 cigarettes
E Even when they are not smokers - 60 million...

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I would like dark chocolate, but I need you
Cadbury alone won't do
I'll climb the Himalayan for you, because
When I'm with you, really with you
Grand Central can come in, yet fade thin, as
I bask with touch...

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I do not want to differentiate
the rose from the cherry
because they both have 
colorful images.....

I do not want to differentiate
the USA from Japan
because they  both have 
same glamour and flavour.....

I do not want to...

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