Of three things you need for happiness--
Be stupid, healthy, hail selfishness,
But if not so stupid
It may not help indeed,
So, better bless your foolishness.
________________________________
Happenings | 30.01.2026 | bliss, happiness, humour, stupidity, limerick
Note: Based on the doctrine of happiness by Gustavo Flaubert. Who proves this so vividly in present-day politics? It’s not so hard to guess.
Meeting you was the best day of my life.
I can hardly wait to make you my wife.
Our future together will be peaches and cream.
Being with you is like living a dream.
I love you so much there could be no other.
For our children you'll make a wonderful mother.
Dearest I feel that it was fate sending signs.
That we will become betrothed on Valentines.
My heart is so full of love, without a care.
Such splendor to gaze at your face so fair.
I'll adore you forever, I'm sure you feel the same.
Oh beautiful lady wont you tell me your name?
Through the plains and valleys they creep,
Throwing away their lives for man’s desire.
With death and hope in tow,
They carry the burdens of countless nations,
Believing in something so far away —
Be it the freedom that evil holds hostage
Or the greed of a single man.
And still they battle in those treacherous lands,
An anguished, silent cry as they wish for their loved ones
Far away in their homelands, waiting for them,
Singing prayers and praises in their stead.
Calloused hands that were beyond wear and tear,
And weapons imbued with the strength, blood, and tears.
The fallen lay, blessed by God,
While the others hide from His wrath.
But all shall be in vain, for His eyes still watch us from afar,
And they shall all beg for Him when the time comes.
When they know that they shall fail,
They speak with pitiful remorse about their lives:
“May the good God bless us through this war.”
By Jahnavi raj
To the social media managers, admins and for those of you who post,
Writers, editors, chaplains, parents and educators from coast to coast.
Our freedoms aren't granted by just one faith's might,
But by those who serve and have served for every American’s right.
They fought for the right to vote for the candidate of our choice,
For every American’s right, to have a voice.
No matter the color of their skin, their age or sexual preferences,
Atop each Vets headstone you’ll discover a variety of religious references.
From every religion, every spiritual path,
Defenders of the Constitution, every paragraph.
Not just the Christian, the Hindu, the Jew,
The Muslim, the Buddhist, to name but a few.
Oaths not sworn to a crown but to the parchment of liberty's vow,
And the military code of justice, our protectors yesterday and now.
Please remember this truth as you post from afar,
Our unity's strength makes us who we are.
It’s RACE that disconnected us, RELIGION that separated us,
Our WEALTH has set us apart and POLITICS divided us’
So just what should the color of FREEDOM be?
For true patriots it’s the first word of our Constitution, “We…”
Today is Veterans Day
or has America forgotten
once again
Standdown Day
USS Coral Sea—Spring 1979
standdown day
no flights
alone I stand upon flight deck
three football fields long
thousands of tons of solid steel
an insignificant gray speck
upon the bounding main
below decks five thousand sailors
and marines on a mission
some scramble, others grind on
some sleep
fourteen-hour days
seven days straight
now standdown day
dusk
gulf water mirror still
a vivid rainbow spans in
a high, full, majestic arc
horizon to horizon
night
below decks I pass berthing
areas crowded with
bed racks stacked three high
eerily quiet for a crammed
metal city
I must work through the
Night and into the morning
Looking forward always to
The next port
by Robert Gorelick
November 11, 2025
Day to remember those who served
Vietnam, Korea, Middle East
Our gratitude is well deserved
By all who live and those deceased
Remember tours, hiding fear
Vile ambushes in plain sight
Them backs recall the tons of gear
Extraction with the heli flight
The ruthless sun and blowing sand
All in day's work where work is war
Reproaching looks in foreign land
And guarded sleep on earthen floor
Live chats while missing kids and wife
Oh, silly troubles way back home
A soldier, living grueling life
While facing combat stress syndrome
It stays with you, forever more
Long after battles go away
Our guys and girls, they are postwar
Salute our Vets on their day
November 11, 2025
ready for the fourth
such loud angry fireworks
terrorizing dogs
pop pop bang bang bang
instilling ptsd
nightmare for soldiers
"Take away the badge,"
Death smiled with arms wide open
"You'll be fine, comrade."
This poem I'd inspired by the broken, lost and weary people who make all of us in this world survive. The veterans, the poor people who work the plants for little reward, and all those who struggle but keep fighting. Keep on fighting with a warriors heart eventually may our world be well.
A hundred years I battle time,
A thousand scars mark every climb.
Ten thousand wounds, yet still I stand—
The ash, the flame, the trembling hand.
Was all I bled for born to dust?
The oaths, the bonds, the shattered trust?
The gods are silent, the world is still,
But even silence bends to will.
I’ve given all—my youth, my name,
My heart to honor, soul to flame.
Yet if this breath is all that’s mine,
Then let it burn the end of time.
Let fear be drowned beneath my cry,
Let stars bear witness as I die.
For though I fall, my spirit flies—
A soldier’s truth: the brave never dies.
So strike your drums and let them hear,
The dying song that knows no fear.
For in this heart, through blood and pain,
The warrior’s fire shall rise again.
Futzing with an American flag hat
There’s a story
A history
He doesn’t want to share
Yet he’s proud
He wipes his chin
And sighs
His body is hobbled
With years of injuries
And drinking
His wife’s voice is shaky
She’s been taking care of him
And it’s tiresome
It’s constant
Their conversation is minimal
Small talk
Like strangers
Doctors appointments
Drug stores
It’s a hamster wheel
In his early days he was a man of steel
Now its just a callous of how he feels
Copy paper of his life was once bare
Now filled with regrets he can’t bare
Sirs, my hands are aloft in greetings
I salute you
My legs are together in attention
I hail you
My hat is off my head
I revere you
I thank you with the two greatest things I have:
My heart and my soul
Like the aggressor who lacked the edge to wear you down,
I lack the words to say thank you.
My heart and soul which you have touched so dearly
Do so for me.
I saw a one way ticket
A trolley full of lauggage
Checking in an apartment, not a hotel
This visitor is here to stay
I saw a sale agreement
Not a stay receipt
I saw a full smile
Not a half-wit grin
Embraced with both hands
A bed in well made
I see no plan for departure
This visitor looks quite settled
AI is here to stay
AI is here for good
To live side by side with our knowledge
Always willing to help.
whistles blare
gun powder in the air
lead pours overhead
I can't wait to feel my bed
I line up my rifle
breathe and squeeze
my orders are to strife
I run empty so I freeze
the quit nights are haunted
this conflict was unwanted
one more tally added; I can't mask it
make sure they spell it right on my casket
Please tell me it’s not true
In supporting the Red white and blue
That not a lot of women are Honorable
And barely any women are notable
So to the far few and in between
I hope your life will shine and glean
Where we may not be many, but just a few
Who go combat hatred people spew
For being fearless in the service we gave
We deserve to be saved
Let us stand out among most women that we see
Filling our hearts with hope and Glee
Let our male counterparts be are equal
Allowing more women to serve in our sequel
Let no woman be full of fear
Where danger lurks and may be near
As our flags colors are tightly woven
Let us recognize the service member who is a woman
Veterans Day Categories
Definition | What is Veterans Day in Poetry?
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