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Best Poems Written by Frederic Gray

Below are the all-time best Frederic Gray poems as chosen by PoetrySoup members

Details | Frederic Gray Poem

Land of Sand

We're out here in the Land of Sand. 
We came to take a stand, and lend a helping hand. 
But every hand I see is shooting back at me. 
It's hard to feel too welcome when all the shot and shell come. 
This isn't working out much like we planned. 
I cannot wait to leave the Land of Sand. 

We're out here in the Land of Mud. 
It's nasty and its wet, and I've got the raging crud. 
There's water to my knees and snipers in the trees. 
I don't smell like a flower,
It's months I had a shower. 
Our CO is a clone of Elmer Fudd. 
I cannot wait to leave the Land of Mud. 

Oh, home, sweet home. 
I dream of hot dogs in the Astrodome. 
It's where my heart is turning. 
I'm yearning for home. 

We're out here in the Land of Bugs. 
They buzz around my head like a thousand thirsty thugs. 
The skeeters and the fleas are worse than enemies. 
It's hot here as a sauna and all the local fauna 
Bounce around like they are high on drugs. 
I cannot wait to leave the Land of Bugs. 

Oh, home, sweet home. 
I finally got my orders to go home 
It's where my babe is bedding,
I'm heading for home. 

So now I'm back at home at last. 
The mud and sand and bugs are all back in the past. 
But kids are screaming, neighbors scheming
Wife is pouting, bills are mounting. 
Home life is really dull, 
I'm bored right out of my skull. 
I think I'll put my papers in again,
And go off to the Land of Ice -
Seems nice.
I think it will suffice.

Details | Frederic Gray Poem

A Sentry's Prayer

Lord, watch over me this night
As I guard my soldiers as they sleep.
Overhead, the stars are sharp and bright,
And the sky is clear and dark, and deep.

For I know that they depend on me
As I know that I depend on You.
Keep my heart awake that I might know 
Out here among the foe 
That You are watching too.

Tonight the breeze is from the east.
There's a hint of jasmine in the air.
Tomorrow is the village feast,
And I know the enemy is there.

Oh God, we're very far from home.
We are shepherds guarding foreign sheep.
There are wolves about!
Don't let them come!
Oh God, don't let me fall asleep!
Help me watch.
Bring us safely home.

The dark is deepest now, the dawn 
Is waiting just beyond the hill.
My eyes are heavy, I watch on.
The air is sharp and cold and still.

I see my son's small shining face
And I long to watch him step and grow.
Here I am in this dark place 
Watching people I will never know.

Sometimes I wonder why we're here.
It seems it's someone else's fight.
And God,I cannot shake the fear.
But look! it's starting to grow light.
We made it through another night.
We made it.
And I know we'll be all right.

Details | Frederic Gray Poem

God Bless the Soldiers

God bless the Soldiers dying young.
In an unfamiliar land, 
Caught by war's impatient hand,
Swept aside by fate before their song is sung.
God bless the Soldiers dying young.

God bless the Soldiers dying old.
In a room above the stair, 
Fellow soldiers gathered there,
Speaking softly of the times when they were bold.
God bless the Soldiers dying old.

So bring them home, and find a place
For  a final dose of grace
From the land they lived to save
Offer them a fresh cut grave, 
A community embrace.
Then post these soldiers gently in the sod, 
Envelop them and hand them off to God.

God bless the soldiers serving on. 
In a tank, or in a chair, 
Down a hole, or in the air,
Never knowing if they'll see a peaceful dawn. 
God bless the soldiers serving on.

We gather here that we may sense the community immense,
Calling for us to respond, to that vast eternal bond
Reaching out from the beyond
A clarion that cannot be ignored:
To join them in the Army of The Lord.

Details | Frederic Gray Poem

Great Jehovah

Great Jehovah 

(Set to John Williams Schindler's list theme)

Great Jehovah, as we weep
We turn our hearts to thee.
As the storms of evil sweep us
In your loving arms you keep us.
Underneath an unforgiving sky
Not for us to know the reason why, oh
Great Jehovah, hear us as we cry.

Great Jehovah, in our plight
We lift our eyes to thee.
As in promises you gave us
Send a chosen one to save us.
Let him find us worthy in your sight,
Find the path to freedom in the night, and
Lead him through the darkness to Thy light.

In our bondage and our pain
We still sing out your song.
Sing it with us, once again.
We have done no wrong.

In this twisted vale of tears
We all call out your name.
Through the hatred and the fears
We can feel no shame.

Great Jehovah, hear our prayer
We lift our voice to thee.
In this place of shock and sorrow
We keep pushing to tomorrow.
Through the aching night to breaking dawn.
Give us faith and strength to carry on, and
Lead our children home when we are gone.

Details | Frederic Gray Poem

Post Trauma

Post Trauma

At night when midnight comes to call
I lie, afraid to go to sleep.
I know the terrors that will crawl
From the dream chest where I keep
The sounds, the smells, the sights that roam
The dark recesses of my mind
From some broken chromosome
The broken soul I left behind.

The animal portion of my brain
From some prehistoric day
Asserts itself, begins its reign,
Elbows the thinking part away
Mobilizing heart and limb
Ready to fight and scream and die
Ready to act on ancient whim
Act with never asking “why?”

The sense of balance I once bore
Was shredded on that battlefield.
Blown to fragments, soaked with gore
Mixed with fear that will not yield.
The shock and awe of death unwelcome
Sent my sense of reason reeling.
And now when the fires of Hell come
I stand frozen and unfeeling.

I  don't want comfort, won’t cry out.
I’m only safe when I’m alone.
In my internal walkabout
I cannot take you, though you moan.
You in the world of sense and light
Can’t begin to comprehend
How with the never ending fright
I can never have a friend.

Perhaps this demon may be slain
Through some intensive meditation,
Or reaching deep inside my brain
Some sedating medication.
But I will wait till my angel comes
Whether spirit, flesh or flame.
To free me from the madding drums
And give me back my soul and name.

(The preface to my novel 'Invisible" available on Amazon)

Details | Frederic Gray Poem

Feather Song

# Feather Song

Set to the main theme from Forrest Gump


Here we all go, light as a feather
Floating on down the road.
No matter what, we'll stick together,
Sharing each other's load.

No matter what, we'll keep on going,
Nothing can stop us now.
Nothing can stop the joy from flowing.
We'll make it through,
Don't ask us how.

Verse 2
We don't know where or when we're going.
We don't care where we came.
Joy is the travel not the knowing.
We'll get there just the same.

Whether it's fair or stormy weather,
Whether we scorch or freeze,
We move along without a tether
Never go down, down on our knees.

Verse 3

Nobody knows their path to glory,
So give it all to chance.
Everyone writes their own life story.
You cannot choose the dance.
 
People may laugh but we don't mind it
Life isn't all a test.
We grab our fortune where we find it,
Grabbing the gold, dumping the rest.

Every day's a thousand miracles
All that you need is one.
Follow the wind until you reach the sun.

Details | Frederic Gray Poem

The American Dream

The American Dream

Gettin up each mornin' shoulder to the wheel.
Bangin' on the walls til they are gone.
Eyes on the horison makin' each new deal.
One step back, two steps up,
Always pushin' on.

The American Dream 
Be what ya gotta be.
The American Dream 
Stand on your own two feet.
The American Dream 
All for your family. 
With God and Country by your side you can't be beat.

It isn't where you come from, the Dream is color blind; 
Or who your parents are, or who they know.
There are no silver platters, the gold is in your mind.
It's in your heart, you gotta start.
So get out there and go!

The American Dream 
Be what ya gotta be.
The American Dream 
Stand on your own two feet.
The American Dream 
All for your family 
And with God and Country by your side you can't be beat.

The Dream doesn't mean that it's easy or it's free.
You got to build your knowledge and your skill.
It's pride in who you are, and who your kids can be 
You got to learn, you gotta burn till you make it up that hill.

The American Dream 
Be what you gotta be.
The American Dream 
Brush away defeat.
The American Dream
Fight for your family 
And with God and country by your side 
It will be one hellava ride 
And all of us make a rising tide that can't be beat.
The American Dream!
The American Dream!
The American Dream!
 
Copyright © Fred C. Gray 3-23-2016

Details | Frederic Gray Poem

Creek Song

The creek meanders down from Pennsilvani-ay
Caresses Sharpsburg as it goes.
To give its water to Potomac as it flows.
And so, the river knows 
What happens on the land above each day.

But something terrible is happening this day.
The air is filled with fire and lead.
The corn is burning and the animals have fled.
The water's turning red.
And now the men have turned and marched away.

The creek meanders down from Pennsilvani-ay
And washes Sharpsburg as it goes.
To dump its blood into Potomac as it flows.
And so, the river knows 
That men have yet to find the thing they seek.
They'll take their dead, and move ahead
And shed their blood into another creek.

Details | Frederic Gray Poem

He's Gone Again

He's gone again.
The third deployment in as many years
I hold the babies tight and fight the tears
And curse the plane that takes him through the sky
The babies never know the reason why
He's gone again.

He's there again
A soldier in some hot and hostile land
To rescue people who don't understand
What freedom is, or what they can become
When it applies to all instead of some.
Because he has to give a helping hand
He's there again.

He knows that I am proud as I can be
Though I would rather have him here with me
He's out there being true and being brave
I'm out here with Amelia at the grave
Of her true soldier, putting flowers down.
In this sadder, now slightly smaller town.

He's home again
Much sooner than we thought that he would be
They say he'll walk again. We'll wait and see.
It's up to us to hide the fear inside.
To take his guilt away, replace with pride
That what he did was worth that crazy ride
And one way or the other he'd be free
And home again.

Details | Frederic Gray Poem

National Anthem, Revised

It's our national song
But the words are all wrong
'Cause it sings about war and the glaring of rockets.
So I'll write words quite new
But I haven't a clue
Just some pieces of lyrics I crammed in my pockets.

And this part is too high
For the average guy
Each time that I sing it
I just want to cry.

While the overpaid athletes
Drop down and take a knee
Tis a good thing that they live
In the Land Of The Free.