He fought a gallant fight to keep his vessel afloat.
And the lighthouse on the hill in his sight
But as he got weary, his strength failed.
He collapsed and his little craft began to drift.
With the absence of his wit, the lonely craft
Fell to the will of the storm, and indeed
It showed no mercy, but tossed his vessel about
Like a leaf in that rugged white channel.
But when at last the morning came
And the sun shines down on his face,
A single man, as captain, mate, crew, and cargo.
Lay flat on his back, in his little vessel,
Still absent of his mind.
With his Irish hound licking on his face
To welcome him home.
In time he was awakened, by a man’s best friend.
A Man’s Castle
Away from the hustling and bustling crowd,
He opened the door and entered his castle
And locked the crazy world outside.
Now to concentrate on what is inside.
Because within these walls lies his all
The family that he loves most dearly.
For in his castle he reigns as the king
With his other half, the castle’s queen.
Together they rule in their domain.
Thus side by side they stand,
Not one above and the other below,
Or one in front and the other behind.
If only as his nightly paradise
Within his walls, he enjoys his sanctuary
There in his castle in bliss he stares
At portraits of many revered ancestors
That decorate his castle walls.
And often he would mumble to them.
“Look at who you have made possible.”
Then he would point to, or touch
Some of the infants, or later birth
To link the early past, to the tranquil now.
Often, he would take the princes and princesses
And teach them the chain of the generation.
A New Nation
When in search of freedom to worship,
They fled from their British homeland
And landed on this foreign soil called America.
They adopted it as their new home,
The British crown hunted them like hounds
And imposed their taxes, a burden upon them.
But they, like oxen, bore the harness;
And when they could no longer
Suffer so great an imposition.
They refused to pay the taxes demanded,
Denouncing taxation without representation
Is bound to be unfair.
Thus they were viciously attacked
And, like heroes they fought back.
From that they emerged a stronger nation.
Known as the United States of America.
When we were again attacked in Pearl Harbor
We, with vigor, fought back again as heroes.
And from our experience
We have grown even stronger,
And we always will.
Again on 911, when the terrorists
Struck their malicious blow.
Yes, we were badly wounded.
But they never broke our resilient spirit.
For again, from those vicious attacks
We arose a stronger nation.
Bound to survive
Again each time renewing our loyal unity,
And we are still growing stronger.
Then Now and After
As time rolls by like the water
Springing from a fountain in the earth,
Or rapidly flowing from a waterfall
One way never to return to its source.
And so likewise as living mortals
We were destined to follow the trend.
As time rolls by from birth to death
We mold our after then from the now.
For the seeds we planted in our then
Are the fruits we are reaping now,
While we spring from our fountain birth
We are rapidly growing until to the earth we fall.
Be particularly mindful of the deeds we sow,
For if they are bitter, foul, or sweet,
In time we will live to reap and eat them.
Will they disturb our palates or caress them?
