#memorialday
[My mother's father a Navy man, my father's dad in the Army.]
(sonnet #MMMMMMMMMCDXX)
The lilacs are 'most perished, yet how scents
Waft sweetest odours on the wind's exhale
As if to give May's final hours' detail
What shall redeem or soften sorrow's sense
Whilst June gears up to party, grass from hence
Half weary in this brazen light and frail
Green, as the dove calls likeas to avail,
And hol'day means I'm off, without defense.
One final pizza left for this grand tour
Of lo, Memor'al Day, no salads to
Accomp'ny, and what's missing? Twas as t'were
Too perfect Sat'day night, war mem'ries through
The hours for our remembrance, til what's poor
Is how we do not cry, oh LORD, for You.
26May25
May 25
May 25, 2026 at 11:54 AM UTC
The Red White
and Blue
gloppy
painting
of the flag
hangs on the wall
in my den
and I have a whale of a time
keeping it straight
freedom
is messy
and not everyone enjoys it
always
but I won't give up
on that painting
nor you
and I hope you
won't give up
on me
May 27, 2024
May 27, 2024 at 11:50 AM UTC
I remember lingering with the boys
long after the decent people had left
drinking to your memory
I remember your coffin being lowered into the ground;
slowly, reverently.
I remember the folded flag, given to your mom by the Colonel;
tears streaming down both of their faces.
I remember the rifle salute - with M60s
I remember escorting your coffin into the chapel;
the Battalion at attention to honor you.
I remember the adrenaline filled chaotic night, the sounds of battle, and the radio message that you were amongst the fallen.
But I don't want to remember you that way,
so I close my eyes and dream back...
To the moment that you arrived in Battalion - wide-eyed and scared to death.
To the announcement that you were joining weapons squad and how the senior squad members tested your mettle every moment of every day.
And how you met every challenge.
To the long days and nights that we trained and worked and soldiered and suffered together; and how you grew to become a Ranger and a Brother.
I will remember your raw strength and endurance and how you would smile the biggest when life ****** the most.
I will remember you this weekend and the boys will drink to your memory once again.
RLTW!
May 29, 2021
May 29, 2021 at 11:51 PM UTC
Did you see them take the green fields
one by one, now line by line on hills in echelon?
Still, holding ground held holy by their sons;
no longer marching to the smoke and drum.
Where bugler called the day to final rest,
now silence grows like lichen on the stones.
For those who gave their all at our behest,
our memories alone will not atone.
Do you see the fires burning at a distance,
and more hallowed ground broken day by day?
Each new stone laid a fading reminiscence;
each new boquet soon fading into gray.
What better way to honor sacrifice
than to pause and speak their names aloud.
Until the gods of war are pacified;
until our flag no longer serves as shroud.
May 25, 2020
May 25, 2020 at 10:25 AM UTC
Today I stand beside you to honor those we love.
The ones who made it home, the ones still fighting, and the ones called to guide us from above.
Today, when they sing the national anthem, don't be surprised if you see me cry. It represents everything that makes me proud to be semper fi.
Today, it doesn't matter where you come from.
If you're here, you're American at the core.
Today, we celebrate everything we're fighting for.
Today, we'll visit our parents, daughters and sons
And tell them their war is over
"You can finally rest in peace. It's okay. Lay down your guns."
Whether you're a soldier, seal or marine, thank you for shielding us from all the things you see that should never be seen.
May 26, 2019
May 26, 2019 at 10:34 PM UTC
A soldier is at the plate
At bat is his countries fate
His appearance is great
Holding the freedom gate
From enemies of US' hate
Such battle, war and slate
Battle worn, scarred and dictate
He stood tall of his create
Preserving peace at harms rate
He eyes the fences of weight
Past the brave crosses of his mate
On it's scales rests this date
Logan Robertson
5/28/2019
May 28, 2019
May 28, 2019 at 3:42 AM UTC
The sky will never hold more
Than all the paths of soldiers’ unreturning,
Laid out the length of undone goodbyes.
Their eyes that sleep on the wind,
Palace of last breath,
And the rain that falls, expectant of windows,
And those left within to live without eyes.
May 27, 2019
May 27, 2019 at 7:50 PM UTC
Did you see them take the green fields
one by one, now line by line on hills in echelon?
Still, holding ground held holy by their sons;
no longer marching to the smoke and drum.
Where bugler called the day to final rest,
now silence grows like lichen on the stones.
For those who gave their all at our behest,
our memories alone will not atone.
Do you see the fires burning at a distance,
and more hallowed ground broken day by day?
Each new stone laid a fading reminiscence;
each new boquet soon fading into gray.
What better way to honor sacrifice
than to pause and speak their names aloud.
Until the gods of war are pacified;
until our flag no longer serves as shroud.
May 27, 2019
May 27, 2019 at 10:29 AM UTC
Remember when,
the Amazon meant the rainforest,
remember when,
Birds were winged creatures that flew above us,
remember when,
our memory wasn’t something on our phone,
remember when,
memory was something in our minds?
Do you remember?
Do you remember,
when we were Light Beings,
not confined to physical bodies,
remember when being a being wasn’t so disgusting?
Remember when we lived,
without farting or pooping or bleeding or sneezing,
remember when we loved for the sake of love,
remember when we’d get together without needing a reason,
Do you remember?
Do you remember unconditional love,
I mean real unconditional love,
back when what we did actually seemed to matter,
before we gave up and stopped giving a fck,
before we threw in the white towel,
and sold our souls to buy in by trying to buy the right vowels,
remember when we had each other to believe in,
before we bought into the dreams they sell and we sold out?
Do you remember?
Do you remember when we lived freedom,
and it wasn’t just a dream we believed in,
do you remember when our little personal revolutions were evolutionary,
do you remember when we could trust everything we were seeing,
now the whole background seems like a green screen,
now the whole world seems like a crime scene,
in a Mandala of Samsara,
trying to break the cycle with Tantra Mantras,
and I wan’t to be Dr. Jekyll all harmless,
but sometimes I scare myself and become a monster,
but I guess that’s the price we pay to play The Game,
ah this life is expensive but liberation is priceless,
so I pay my dues and keep moving through,
making moves like there’s nothing to lose but this life I shine until lifeless,
taking trips without falling to destinations that are calling,
my name by ship car or plane trying to get it all but in the process forgetting everything,
so I preemptively apologize if we meet again,
and I admit that I easily forget and have to ask you to please remind me your name,
remember when,
the Amazon meant the rainforest,
remember when,
Birds were winged creatures that flew above us,
remember when,
our memory wasn’t something on our phone,
remember when,
memory was something in our minds?
Do you remember?
∆ LaLux ∆
May 28, 2018
May 28, 2018 at 8:03 PM UTC
l stand in awe and
disgust
as l watch evangelical
Christians subject themselves to
moral gymnastics
trying to
reconcile their faith with their
fear and hatred.
They place the teachings of Christ
on a virtuous scale alongside
the words,
the actions, and
the deeds
of the politician they elected and
somehow
they find a way to proclaim
balance.
That kind of
tortured calculus
is as impressive as it is
repugnant.
May 27, 2018
May 27, 2018 at 3:00 PM UTC
Someone put an
asterisk
in the Constitution and the
Declaration of Independence
when we weren't looking.
They added terms and conditions,
the ones nobody bothers to read
until they're ****** by them.
We live in the 'Land of the Free', asterisk.
We have the right to free speech, asterisk.
We can practice any religion, or none, asterisk.
We have the right of Life and Liberty, asterisk.
Rich, white, men know that the asterisk means
'for me, but not for thee," as they smile and
waggle their eyebrows at one another.
We live our lives surrounded by asterisks.
Truth lives in the asterisks.
May 27, 2018
May 27, 2018 at 12:48 PM UTC
Sun rising
People awake
Butterflies flutter
Birds chirping
Bees buzzing
Wind howling
Rain falling
Sun shining
Stars twinkling
Fireworks bursting
People cheering
Families partying
Celebrating love
Memorial Day
May 28, 2017
May 28, 2017 at 9:37 AM UTC
America isn't purple mountains and prairies
It isn't 1930's New York City
It's not marble columns and domes
It isn't crazy politicians and gridlock in Washington
And it certainly isn't Red, White, and Blue. Australia, Russia, Slovakia, and Great Britain are all red, white, and blue.
Heck, they're the exact same shades of red, white, and blue
America is freedom
America is tolerance
America is acceptance
America is about taking your traditions
And mixing them with the traditions of people around you
America is about saying what we want to
And not what someone else wants us to
America is about letting the people take the reigns.
"We the people"
It's the first line of the constitution
It's why we have memorials, marble columns, and congress
It's why people died fighting for it
Don't forget it
America is an ideal
Not a place
Not a person
Not an object
America is as beautiful
As we choose to make it
what do you want it to look like?
May 30, 2016
May 30, 2016 at 9:33 PM UTC
She knew then
War is hell
On God's green earth
She heard Satan’s bell
The men approached
An officer and a priest
She fell to her knees
Her joy deceased
Her prayers betrayed
All the good lost
Silently hoping
Knowing freedom's cost
The ultimate sacrifice
To give up a son
And now he is gone
How can she live on
To tell a mother
Of her grievous loss
There are no words
Only another cross
As she plummets
Into the abyss
The spirit moves
Delivering a silent kiss
Her life shattered
The garden forgotten
Dinner has become cold
Will her heart ever soften?
Hatred where there was love
Bitterness all she can feel
As their lips moved
Words shock does conceal
She stares into the night
Nails piercing her memories
His face the shattered mirror
Where she found all her worries
Floating in front of the bullet
She wipes his brow
There is nothing in this life
Nothing matters now
She covers his pale body
As the blood of life flows
He shivers touching her hand
She smiles because she knows
The mercenary
Loves his mother
It is her special place
There is no other
Did he call for her?
Did he have time to cry?
Or did death give him leave?
An honorable way to die
His duty to his country
Planted the seeds of pride
Now he is dead
She wondered if soneone lied
Is it time for anger
To walk down hatred’s trail?
She prayed every night
Hoping for a holy veil
"I pray for my son
Oh Lord remember his name
Spare him a short journey
Do not give Satan true aim
Return him to me
The one who bore the pain
I only ask for life
All mothers ask the same"
And now her prayer
Has become profane
What once passed her lips
Will never be spoken again
Can she turn the other cheek
For the unknown ******
Or for his “superior” officer
Who gave the order to the killer
Was he expendable
As a stone over the breach
Did the others to climb
Leaving the dead on the beach?
Did his killer survive?
Or is his mother bitter?
The sons of ambition
Are now only its litter
Glory is no solace
As we struggle with a memory
Life must go on
But not in a cemetary
Did one more death
Win the war?
He was proud to go
Now she wonders what for
She is gone now
Whispering at the end
We were not there
Flowers we did not send
She never saw butterflies
Or heard birds each day
She only thought of her son
Hoping God knew the way
I watch my own son
He smiles with his friends
I wonder about the flag
That covers our sins
It was folded for her
Forever never to wave
Will it sit in a drawer?
Whose life will it save?
Can I offer him for freedom?
As Abraham offered Isaac?
I cry as I feel the shame
Courage is what lack
Did her son die in vain?
Will my son soon follow?
Or will I spit out
The pill others swallow?
How can I comfort
A woman I never knew?
Tell me the answer
What should I do?
I ask you the same
What would you do?
There are no answers
You love your son too
So as we fall silent
I will pray over how she bled
Hoping never to see lips move
Telling me my son is dead
May 30, 2016
May 30, 2016 at 6:08 PM UTC
Day is done.
Gone the sons.
The daughters and the mothers,
the fathers and the others.
Tomorrow arises,
and more advisers
will give opinions
on the public’s attitudes
of which longitudes and latitudes
justify our intervention.
And which friends’ atrocities
we’ll ignore, and which we’ll tsk tsk.
But at what risk
do we apply our double standards?
And how many more standards will be borne
by how many ships and worn
by how many caskets?
Does not each double standard double the standards
covering caskets, arriving in plane loads?
Our politicians believe it’s better not to ask it.
Better not to ask that question, and bite the hand that feeds
the coffers and the coffins.
May 30, 2016
May 30, 2016 at 1:06 PM UTC
Did you see them take the green fields
one by one, now line by line on hills in echelon?
Still, holding ground held holy by their sons;
no longer marching to the smoke and drum.
Where bugler called the day to final rest,
now silence grows like lichen on the stones.
For those who gave their all at our behest,
our memories alone will not atone.
Do you see the fires burning at a distance,
and more hallowed ground broken day by day?
Each new stone laid a fading reminiscence;
each new boquet soon fading into gray.
What better way to honor sacrifice
than to pause and speak their names aloud.
Until the gods of war are pacified;
until our flag no longer serves as shroud.
May 30, 2016
May 30, 2016 at 7:28 AM UTC
When you were old enough
You answered the call to serve
Many friends among you
Didn't have the nerve
Off to basic training
Learn to fight a war
Time to become a man
Off to a foreign shore
Battles you will face
Put your life on the line
Dying for your country
To you that would be fine
For our freedom
You paid with your life
Leaving your parents
Kids and a wife
Thank you for your sacrifice
A cost we cannot repay
Allow us to honor you
On this Memorial Day
Our Country
Forever in your debt
Promises that...
We will never forget
May 28, 2016
May 28, 2016 at 9:36 AM UTC
For you who served
So others might live.
Some of you gave
All you had to give.
We lost some of you
And it broke our hearts
But, live or die you all
Stood up to do your part.
For those of you who served
When some could not go
You overcame obstacles
That we will never know.
But because you stood
And fought against villainy
You have an honored place
In our country’s history.
No stones can be stacked
High enough to balance
The mothers who lost
Their children in battles
And no speeches made
Can ever appropriately say
What your sacrifice has meant
To every one of us today.
Apr 29, 2016
Apr 29, 2016 at 10:31 PM UTC
Crosses white, poppies red,
Remember how, remember when
Pale petals fell from blooming roses,
And padded paths where freedom goes.
Fierce fires doused a would be hate,
To quench dry hearts, yours and mine.
Their love and duty burned paper chains
That shackled in war time.
Wise eyes, bright minds, aged souls, young hearts,
Traded rockers for grassy beds;
Gave up gray for blue-black youth,
Now honoured among the dead.
The rose that's guarded by the thorn,
Against the reach of many hands,
Does the same in all God's lands:
Yet still the life sap flows.
This time of year is here again,
But remember how, remember when
Fading pulses beat taps then.
Remembrance Day must never end.
Nov 6, 2015
Nov 6, 2015 at 8:44 AM UTC
i will never know your name,
or your face,
or the loved ones you left behind,
or the people you helped -
and saved.
i will never know what it was like,
running into that place,
unsure if you would be coming out.
i will never know the torture of those last moments,
when you finally knew that you'd be coming home sooner than planned,
only to be buried in the ground.
i will never fully understand your sacrifice,
but i hope that you know just how grateful i am.
Thank You.
May 26, 2015
May 26, 2015 at 8:35 AM UTC
Why are our soldiers dying?
While their unborn children are crying
A nation plays, ignoring their pain
Dreaming only of personal and capital gain
Our anger has become numb
We are blind, deaf and dumb
We sleep, secure inside the fortress
His memory, filling an empty mattress
Where the dreams of a soldier remain
Never knowing if they were in vain
Instead they remain a faceless pawn
To be used by those who are wrong
While the sheep continue to wander
Unknowing in the fields only to squander
Our knowledge and ability to alter
A nation’s soul, so we continue to falter
On the path to progressive enlightenment
And instead living a life that is abhorrent
To the whole of mankind and its ideals
Refusing to grant audience to the appeals
Of the weakest among us all
Who historically take the fall
For the ambitions of the soulless ones
Trample upon the bones of our sons
Diluting the water of courage
Creating an atmosphere to discourage
The rising of righteousness as we should
To band together in a peaceful brotherhood
Of good Samaritans praying for equality
And to end the marriage of life and frivolity
For within a man of peace has become death
And within our hearts remain his last breath
May 25, 2015
May 25, 2015 at 7:50 PM UTC
freckle-faced
jug-eared
left-handed
skinny as a fungo bat
loose-jointed
like a string-puppet
in sports
not great but
scrappy and fun
long distance runner
played hard
no grudges
nobody’s idea of handsome
voice like a scratchy record
married straight out of high school
drafted
101st Airborne
everybody had a dumb nickname
Denny, Little Old Lady
nobody remembers why
Thua Thien, South Vietnam
hit by an RPG
August 5, 1968
smithereens in a body bag
days later, a letter
informs
he’s a daddy
Denny, if you’d lived sixteen more days
you could’ve legally bought beer
I’m sixty-seven years old
you’re forever
almost twenty-one
Memorial Day 2015
We've lost them by the thousands.
We grieve them one by one.
May 24, 2015
May 24, 2015 at 2:42 PM UTC