MEMORIAL DAY
THOSE WHO DIED
My daddy served till I was six.
A Navy man he loved his ship.
Rejecting hero he would proclaim.
"Those who died should have that name."
Sailed many times across the waves.
Rescuing prisoners from cells as graves.
A coxswain warning of things to come.
That sound still echos to setting sun.
Blow the whistle as bugles blare!
Today the fallen shall be honored
everywhere!
MAFLongfellow
Categories:
navy man, memorial day,
Form: Free verse
At the harbor, old men watch boats
sail to sea as nostalgia floats
through sunlight.
A Navy man recites a song
and baits his chums to sing along
from sundeck.
Then, sun and clouds together swirl.
He thinks of her and how she’d twirl
her sundress.
His memories bring laughs and tears,
then comes another round of beers
at sunset.
Thoughts bittersweet, he won"t forget.
Friends reminisce without regret
till sunrise.
Written 5/17/20 for Joseph May’s
Compounding the Verse Contest
Categories:
navy man, friendship, memory, men, sun,
Form: Verse
An old-fashioned modern Jew
He was brilliant, unique
Weaving the strands of tradition
Into best-selling novels sleek
A Navy man, aboard a WW2 mine-sweep
Mr. Wouk loved letters, his country, and
Talmudic wisdom, from which his works drew deep
Herman Wouk, the prolific novelist and
lifelong student of the Talmud, has
passed on to his Maker today, at the
tender age of 103. May he rest in peace...
Categories:
navy man, death, jewish, literature, tribute,
Form: Ode
I
Head of the Rescue Operation gave it to the World
Quietly, a universal Operation for children
Who may play in the World Cup someday
A coach barely 25, who helped 12 survive
Yes, the Chiang Rai Cave Rescue has your name over it
II
So many churches prayed their hearts & soul
LORD knew I needed good news today, when HUURKOR
(Yes, a Octopus like Company renting flats in Africa
Wants to foreclose on property for HOA fees it failed to take)
So, like me, the world often waits for great news
LORD, thanks for not getting the UN & Charities in this
III
O the people left to themselves, without diplomacy
Pray for each other, each other's teams, countries
And Thai Navy man, Osottanakorn, was right, generous, light:
The people of the world made it THEIR LOVE OPERATION, 13 victories
More goals than in World Cup matches. Hearts were matched tight
Categories:
navy man, adventure, appreciation, business, environment,
Form: Verse
He claims to be a Navy man
The game scream catch me if you can
I won't fall for that hoax again
, can you take it on the chin,?
, wanted loved and thought I'd found
Love requires that you come around
,, at least come long enough to talk
, hurry now you must not balk
I will not engage in
, anything Akin to sin
But if you would hold my heart
Wedding Bells with just the start
Categories:
navy man, angel,
Form: Blank verse
A hundered days is not enough
we need some
diamonds
a few good men or women
a few good neighbors, come it to that.
Elba is cold this time of year
I've heard it said that
home is where the heart is
or maybe whoever said that meant to say that
home is where the heart was when we were young.
Singing around a bonfire,
sausages popping open at their seams,
the smell of alcohol secreted away within someones pack-
just recalling makes you want to laugh,
But on this beach, in this place the sand grabbing at your boots,
the tilted hat upon your head holding purchase only through your force of will,
the ocean is always roaring, so that is no excuse for your misgivings,
and the wind will always spirit birds along upon its breath.
In the distance, do you
see the ship coming to sweep you back to war,
do you see the albatross shaped within the sales?
The rime of the mariner sounds inside your mind,
even though you were never a navy man.
looking out, in the cold, clear morning,
do you see the the wings unfurled,
the mast, charging upon them in a torrent?
Or is an Island as good a place to die as any?
Categories:
navy man, historyheart, heart,
Form: Free verse
My daddy served till I was six.
A Navy man. He loved his ship.
Rejecting Hero he would proclaim.
"Those who died should have that name."
Sailed many times across the waves.
Rescuing prisoners from cells as graves.
A Coxman warning of things to come.
That sound still echos to setting sun.
Blow the whistle as bugals blare!
Today Veterans shall be honored everywhere.
MAFLongfellow
Categories:
navy man, adventure, father, history, inspirational,
Form: Ballad