Lest We Forget [11 September 2001, A Requiem]
Through a hatred borne of fear, you plotted your course;
With each 'Freedom' as fodder, your animus grew worse;
Your ignorance cannot be countered with rational debate,
It is your fundamental flaw-you hate, for the sake of hate!
One tragic, late Summer day, whose infamy you ensured,
You destroyed a treasured symbol-and though now cured,
Inculcated great fear-not to mention the lives you have taken!
We are resolute and unafeared, where once, we were shaken.
Your victory was pyrrhic, and very short-lived-
For, our time for righteous retribution soon arrived!
You awakened a sleeping lion, from His peaceable sleep,
And now, your total annhilation is a promise we shall keep,
To the humble and brave families of those we have lost;
We are 'One Nation, Under God' that you should have never crossed!
Millions of heroes, from cities and towns both far and wide,
Each with an indefatigable sense of American pride,
Have assembled from disparate lives, to fight side by side,
To honor the memory of those who tragically died!
They were very real people, from every station in life,
Whose loss, to this very day, still cuts like a knife,
Through the collective consciousness of the entire world;
Now, as a nation of nations, under a single flag unfurled,
We have gathered e'er more strength and fortitude still;
If we can not defeat with sheer might, our attitude will!
We are the embodiment of all you have taken from us-
Your diabolical deeds have surely shaken our trust
In the inherent goodness of man-shame on you!
The man in the mirror is culpable-yes, the blame's on you,
And you alone, for all the destruction and innocence you have taken;
You may never rebuild the trust that you have foresaken!
Our loss is profound, yet strengthens our resolve-
So long as, around the Sun, the Earth does revolve,
Your's is not an ideology that will capture a greater stage,
Only the rebuke of a righteous people, as well as their greater rage!
May we never forget what the world truly lost that day:
The citizens of the world, who paid a cost, that may
Never be repaid, as precious lives may not be replaced!
We must ensure that their memories are never effaced-
That we live lives, about which they could be proud
And hold fast to the promises that, to them, we've avowed!
For, it is for them and in memory of their grace
That we tempered our response to the right time and proper place,
Where hate mongers have tried to make it about religion and race!
This is the only way we may look our children in the face:
With the knowledge that our response was proper, and our force was right-
In the face of pure evil, we constrained our righteous might!
We honor those lost, always, lest we ever forget!
For all that for which they lived, we will never forfeit
The values they taught us, while they were living:
Love, patience, tolerance, and a perpetual Thanksgiving
For all the wonder that life had ever offered!
This is worthy a refrain, lest your heart still be coffered
By a misplaced animus for a phantom menace;
That is the fundamental difference we have between us:
The ability to know what is right and what is wrong-
It is what makes you weak, and us, strong!
-Maurice Harris,11 September 2011
poem by Maurice Harris
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Related quotes
11 September 2001
On that fateful day, though much indubitably was lost,
The world shown-our spirit they may not exhaust!
Our world, their world, they have altered forever-
Yet, they have failed miserably in their endeavor!
Surely, many ways to espouse the ideals they advance-
Yet, their hate seems to have no basis but in ignorance!
Attempt made to inculcate in us great and abject fear;
I say 'We are the free, the brave-fright lives not here'!
Stealth is their tact, not even a combatant's courtesy,
They commenced upon their own self-fulfilling prophesy!
Awakened has been, our conscience to evil's existence,
Never to falter, nor fail in our dogged persistence!
Their wicked cause seems only the masses fright,
Bear witness now terrorist, our righteous might!
Maurice Harris,12 September 2009
poem by Maurice Harris
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Ground Zero- Twin Towers, USA, Tenth Anniversary 9/11/2011
Like a phoenix from the ash:
Twin towers from rubble
Should rise back to glory,
Despite attacks gory!
The pride of a nation great
Was hurt from depths of heart;
The shock still lingers on
As dear lives had been lost.
Tenth Anniversary
Brings memories of past;
A world united stands
To fight Terrorism.
Yet, hatred isn’t the key
To problems that we see;
Love is the missing link
Forgot by those who ink.
Bury the hurt of heart;
Don’t hurt back on your part;
Rethink on what went wrong;
Despair is in life’s song!
Let nations be alert;
Terror acts don’t seem brave;
Yet, men for love just crave;
Sow seeds of love, don’t hate!
No man is bad by heart;
The world turns some, insane;
Violence is always bane;
Let love of life remain!
Let new Twin Towers rise,
Showing newer resolve!
A sign of love and peace
As wounds of hearts all heal!
‘In memory of all the dear lives lost
And those who lost their own
to save their dear ones’ lives! ’
Copyright by Dr John Celes 9-11-’11
poem by John Celes
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This Hate
I hate the word terrorist
I hate how it is used
I hate the war began by it
I hate the hate that ensues
I hate the politicians, who squander human lives
I hate the people
I hate the people who allow
I hate the people who ignore the truth
I hate myself who stands helpless, frustrated, and confused
I hate… hate
I hate the truth of today
I hate the horror of yesterday
I hate that I cannot forget
I hate the media who conform the masses
I hate the fear that leaves a repugnant odor
I hate those that use this fear to kill
All this hate I bear eats at me
This hate eats you
Hate will consume us, until all of humanity is lost
While I spin so does the world
While we die so does the world
While the world is at war
There will be no winner
There will be no victory
There will be no peace
Wake up……
WAKE up…….
WAKE UP………
So we can end this hate
poem by Samson Minder
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The World Needs Peace, Not Through Wars!
What loss of lives and destruction!
Can lives all lost ever return?
How many more will have to die?
Can one man’s death bring back lives lost?
What pollution, a war can add!
Let Cats who declare wars on mice,
Take the blame and pay the price!
War is a gambling game like dice;
War is a futile exercise.
One cannot fight wars with mere knives;
War is a waste of human lives;
Alas, will nations realize
That keeping peace is always wise?
Wars can begin without a cause;
The world can’t have a single boss!
One nation can’t stifle the rest,
Or try to be always the best.
The world body must give OK!
The world must say to wars, all ‘nay’;
For lasting peace, war isn’t the way!
The cost of wars, who will repay?
The world must find out other ways,
Avoiding wars in future days;
Each nation must unmask its face,
And set on peace, its gaze always!
Copyright by Dr John Celes 1-1-2007
poem by John Celes
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Paid In Full
There are wars that are to be won
And there are wars to be lost
There are lives to be saved
And there are lives to be lost
But mine will come at a higher cost
There are victories that are deserved
And even in those wins, something is lost
There are deaths that are deemed necessary
Despite that, their honor is never lost
But mine will come at a higher cost
There are people that do not agree
And believe that the world is lost
There are others that say it’s saved
Only if the doubt and negativity are lost
But mine will come at a higher cost
There are soldiers that believe in a cause
And believe that American values are not lost
There are my bothers that fight on the line
And there are the brave ones that we have lost
It is those who have paid the higher cost
poem by C.R. Ebowski
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I Hate...
I hate,
hate that I can't trust
I hate,
hate that I must lie because they'd rather believe I'm fine.
I hate,
hate who I've been.
I hate,
hate to make decisions.
I hate,
hate that I can't hate those I should.
I hate,
hate my life.
I hate,
hate that I can't die.
I hate,
hate to live in fear and hate.
I hate,
hate my uncertainty.
I hate,
hate the lies people tell me.
I hate,
hate that I believe.
I hate,
hate those that wish their lives were mine.
I hate,
hate all emotion that's mine.
I hate,
hate that I need others.
I hate,
hate my own d*mn incompetence.
I hate,
hate that there's so much to hate.
poem by Dama Tristeza
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A Year of Anniversaries
This year is a year of anniversaries,
and I remember where I was,
and what I was doing on each of them,
when the news came through.
The death of two famous people
who had an effect on our lives
and a diabolical act of terrorism
one could never forget.
That stunned nations around the world.
Thirty years ago,
the world was stunned by the passing of a king.
The king of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley.
Although his voice was silenced
on a bathroom floor,
he left with us all a legacy
of his music that will live eternally.
Ten years ago the world lost a Princess
in a car crash in Paris.
A Royal Princess of the likes no one had ever seen before,
whose gentleness and kindness
with everyone she met
will always be remembered.
She was Diana, Princess of Wales,
but she was more than that,
she was a Princess to the world.
She reached out to the poor and rich alike.
She was mourned by millions across every land.
The legacy she left is to befriend everyone.
Then six years ago, something happened.
It drew together nations,
who sometimes were at odds with one another,
to defeat an enemy
whose fingers stretched across many lands.
Loved ones of many nations mourned
when the twin towers crumbled to the ground
in a diabolical act of terror.
Planes were ordered out of the sky,
and for days after as I remember
I never saw a single bird fly.
Silence drew a cloud around the world,
on that day of infamy,
11 September 2001.
Images flew around the world to television screens.
Everyone looked in disbelief
at the pictures that they saw.
The unimaginable had happened.
Terror had struck
the corner stone of freedom
with one almighty blow.
The world was a sad place that day
as many millions cried.
Now the anniversaries have rolled around.
Memories of what I was doing on those days,
come to the forefront of my mind,
of how I felt,
where I was,
when for a few minutes around the world
time stood still in my life.
So I ask as you finish this poem to take a minute of your time to remember all those who lost their lives and those who risked their lives to save people most didn’t know six years ago today.
poem by David Harris
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I Believe In Nigeria
With so many battles and killings,
with slim chances of healings.
Our peace has been taking away from us,
and our glory days are far behind us.
Our nation has been torn apart,
by those whose love are from our heart.
With tears runing down our cheek,
with the killings and violence at its peak.
Every where is been flooded by innocent blood,
and our treasure been lost in the mud.
Everyday we live our lives in fear,
with so much pain that we can't bear.
People been nurtured to the highest level of hatred,
and now innocent lives are been affected.
Hatred has given birth to death,
and death taking away our precious life on earth.
With people living their lives in hell,
even when they mean to do well.
Properties are been destroyed everyday,
and thousands of lives are been laid to rest each day.
Is it a crime to be a human? ,
or is it a sin to be a nigerian? .
Is it a cause to crave for peace in our nation? ,
a nation thats moving closer to the point of destruction.
Each day our kneels are planted on the ground in prayers,
to erradicate pains that is been inflited by peace haters.
All i know is that all hope is not lost,
because in the ebullent nigerian spirit i trust.
No matter the trouble we may be going through today,
it will be a testimony we'll say some day.
For every pain that we feel in our heart now,
the peace of heaven will erase it some how.
For every sacrifice we make for the peace of our country,
will go a long way to erase every of our misery.
No matter the level of destruction in our neighbour hood,
i believe one day everything will change for good.
poem by Stanley Oguh
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Liberty and Justice For All
On this day, September 11,2012, I sit here in my soul and reflect about my fellow countrymen and countrywomen who reflect back to me their souls, their courage, their resolve and strength. As an American, the spirit of America is born in me, as I am born in the spirit of America. The will of not just myself, but the will of the people, of us all, moves in me this day.
Our lives, our country, changed drastically on September 11,2001, but our character, our principles of freedom, and the constitution of our nation and our souls did not change but persevered and remained in the forefront of our breasts as we braved the unknown world ahead of us. In God's heaven, or the heaven of our hearts, the lives we lost, now venerate us as we mourn their loss. There is no memorial as grand, no memorial as beautiful, than the memorial we hold in our hearts of the stories of courage, valor, and bravery exhibited on that day. A peaceful sorrow ascends from the mass graves of death, from the Pentagon, from United Airlines Flight 93, and the World Trade Center; this sorrow, this peace from the dead souls mouth whispers to me in vibrant silence,
'We shall be remembered, we shall live forever. In your hearts, our freedom lives.'
What has always disconcerted me is what should be impossible, is possible, and what should be possible, is impossible. A tragedy, an act of violent malice, like Sept.11, should never be possible in life. Indignation and hatred should never burn so immensely as to kill the soul that kills others; but it happened and it still happening.
Now let's work to make the impossible come true. Let's not question ourselves but move with more force, more swiftly to the American Dream; the equality of man and woman, the opportunity for all to prosper, the toleration of all religion, the respect for the rights of the individual, the freedom of thought and the freedom to eat its fruits, the ability to compromise, Justice! America we must become the ideal for the world to follow, we must beat our blood in freedom everywhere we go, we must live in unity, and with resolve stand our ground! This is our peace; this is what the dead souls of 9/11 whisper.... Liberty and Justice for all!
To the Servicemembers who fought, lived and died for our freedoms….
Bless the courageous souls who fought valiantly
And with honor and dignity acted gallantly
In our hearts, your hearts march brave
With solemn virtue, and our minds grave
We cry 'look at all the lives thy save! '
March On!
poem by Kevin Michael Murphy
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Join Hands All People
So many lives changed, so many lost
America fights for It’s freedom, at any cost
Our freedom will never succumb to evil or hate
But this day lives forever in our hearts
September 11th is this date.
Our dead lay before us in the destruction and flames
We look to Bin Laden as the one to blame
The Pentagon in Washingtion, in NY the Twin Towers
After the destruction, the cowards hide and cower.
Join hands all People, join hands in peace and love
Raise your voices in prayer to our Savior above
The war rages on but only through God will we succeed
This war on evil will be won if we let the Lord lead.
On September 11th we witnessed the evil that came from the sky
Causing the strongest of Nations to get on their knees and cry
Love will prevail over this evil and hate
but we’ll always remember the sadness caused on this date.
Our Nation with God’s help will be stronger than before
Gods’ people have opened their hearts and entered His open door
Together, all people, joined as one,
This is how this war on evil will be conquered and won.
Join hands all People, join hands in peace and love
Raise your voices in prayer to our Savior above
The war rages on but only through God will we succeed
This war on evil will be won if we let the Lord lead.
Bless and guide our leaders to make decisions in your name
Forgive the evildoers that caused this destruction and pain
Bring our Nation together joined as One
This is how this war on evil will be won.
poem by Sandra Finch
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Starbuck Poem = Sons and Daughters Of World War- III
SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF WORLD WAR III
Our sons and daughters serve in harm's way
To defend our way of life.
Some are students, some grandparents
Many a husband or wife.
They face great odds without complaint
Gambling life and limb for little pay.
So far away from all they love
Fight our soldiers for whom we pray.
The plotters and planners of America's doom
Pledge to murder and maim all they can.
From early childhood they are taught
To kill is to become a man.
They exploit their young as weapons of choice
Teaching in heaven, virgins will await.
Destroying lives along with their own
To learn of their falsehoods too late.
The fearful cry we must submit
And find a way to soothe them.
Where defenders worry if we stand down
The future for America is grim.
Now's not the time to fight one another
Or kiss our enemy's cheek.
All through history it remains the same
The strong enslave the weak.
May God continue to bless America
Refusing evil, the upper hand.
It's up to us to stay resolute
Defending the liberty of Man.
FREEDOM
In their new uniforms
The young march off
Not knowing who shall return.
With a proud devotion
They brandish their flag
Leaving loved ones to wonder and yearn.
May we all be buried
By all of our children
Is an ancient tribal prayer.
They're so easy to lose
But so hard to forget
Such a burden for a parent to bear.
Oh, the taste of victory
Shall soon be forgotten
But, never that which was lost.
For those rows of white headstones
In peaceful green fields
Make it easy to tally the cost.
America has survived all attempts to destroy
Knowing the cruelty of war
And, we who remain
Must help keep her free
For those who can march no more!
OUR FLAG
Our flag is fabric wove of thread
Carried by heroes live and dead.
She stands for justice and courage too
With her colors; red, white and blue.
For all who serve her, there'll be cheers
For any who die, there'll be tears
For all who love her, honor will prevail
Any who harm her, shall suffer and fail.
How many moms have cried before
As they sent their children to war.
How many dads have not returned
Because our freedom must be earned.
Wars were waged where brave men died
As patriots fought side by side.
Our flag is still the pearl of Earth
Because of those who prove her worth.
The Losers Never Write The War History
The losers never write the war history that's something we already know
Yet for the many wars fought through the ages we do not have the wisdom to show
That victory too comes at a huge cost for war the price is huge to pay
For families who grieve for their dead members their sense of loss with them will stay
Until they themselves go to the reaper the reaper who claims one and all
The loved one war had taken from them with great sadness they will recall
But the dead to life cannot be returned better to live as a coward than die brave
For none has yet come back for to tell us that there is a life beyond the grave,
They died for their God and their Country of dead war heroes some well may brag
Those who place too much worth on the unknowable and the colour of their Nation's flag
I for one find religion and patriotism confusing of god and war heroes hymns and songs are sung
But surely it is a misnomer that only the good do die young
And yet from war we have not learned young lives are lost for wars to be won
And if lasting peace ever does come it won't be through the barrel of a gun
poem by Francis Duggan
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To You, Africa
You are a beautiful terra firma
With beautiful people
Rich in history
Rich in prosperity
You are a land of life hard lived
Through droughts and famines
Your people had a lot to give
Your villages were of close community
Unlike that of civilization
You were the best example
that the world could have seen
Then the toubob began to arrive
And your people were taken
With no regard for your childrens lives
I know you are still shaken
Taken from the land they loved
Shoving their beloved Earth into their mouth
For one last taste of you, Africa
Your people have been stolen
Your people have been killed
Your generations have been lost
Your families have been torn apart
Your people have been enslaved
Your women have been raped
Your people have long suffered
Your people have lived through misery
Stolen for what purpose
Other than to be a serf
Some say it could have been worse
But we know it was the worst
Africa, your people are great
Your people are strong
Your people survived through it all
Your people still sung their songs
After 1865 they were freed
Yet still they were enslaved it seemed
Today there are still places that ban your people
Brought here unwillingly, to this 'land of the free'
Your people are who can change this nation
Your people are here for that reason
All hope is not lost
We will succeed regardless of the cost
This is to you, Africa
poem by Ryan Sanders
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War + Lives - add Love = Freedom
A nation born from war, for the “purpose” of establishing freedom
A nation divided in war, in an “attempt” to fulfill the goal of freedom
A nation engaged in world wars, in the task of “preserving” freedom
A nation policing the world, in the “pursuit” of freedom
So many young lives have been lost, for the “cause” of freedom
Let us remember those who paid the “ultimate price, ” for freedom
And dear God, please tell us! - “What! ” - is freedom?
“Life is to be lived, not controlled, and humanity is won by continuing
To play in face of certain defeat.” Ralph Ellison
'We need not war'
We need not war, to show us how freedom is made
What we need is love to show us how freedom is played.
For freedom is not - but to “do as we please”
But rather to “please others” - because of what we achieve
“To serve requires love, only with love to we attain freedom”
poem by Dave Tanguay
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I cried whole night
I cried whole night for world peace in east
It was just before dropping of nuclear bomb with holocaust
Millions perished in just few seconds
Never to be seen on face of earth with tragic end
My tears had not dried up and world was again threatened
Millions were rooted from their forefather's homeland
I took deep breathe as it was for time being averted
Normalcy was restored and for time being peace zone was converted
Those deadly weapons of mass destruction are not of old memory
Everybody may shiver with slight occurrence and feel sorry
Wars are not happy occasions to celebrate with joy
Nation in particular and world at large has some army to deploy
I cry in corner for war orphans, destitute and killed
They were bread earner and in real sense skilled
Who will go and wipe their tears with few kind words?
I fear no one will as it is the wish of trigger happy war lords
World's larges democratic country was sent with shock waves
Who knows how many really were buried alive or lost lives?
As mother earth I tested human blood on my surface
As if I was oozing red tears with no strength to face
Let war be taking place at any side of globe
I am the only sufferer to grieve the loss and sob
I feel my children are annihilated for no fault of their crimes
Why can't you all draw some kind of safety lines?
You all assure me about not shedding a blood
Instead, wage a war on creating enough food
Feed all those hungry mouth now dying without source
Divert all destructive means to create strong peaceful force
I dream about complete universe with no violence
Not a skirmish even on boundaries with slight chance
Let people of whole world come out from their old mentality
I may then only be at ease with peace in totality
poem by Hasmukh Amathalal
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Resolution Lost
While hatred dwells cloaked in cavernous darkness,
Buzzards circle fallen heroes of a distant feud.
Crusade for justice, where have you gone?
Patriots grieve loss, current and past.
Loss of our Brothers and Sisters taken suddenly and tragically.
Loss of our security.
Loss of our innocence.
“We wage a war to save civilization itself”, he said.
It is not the war of Retribution for the unprovoked that has been waged.
Like a magician’s slight of hand card trick,
Attention has been diverted.
Sidetracked by personal agendas.
Our hearts still sting from the dagger of hatred
Plunged deep into the heart of our Nation.
As hatred lives, so does our resolve to conquer it.
We still remember the promises made long ago.
Do you?
poem by Sheila Jones
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Meuse-Argonne
Known simply as the Offensive of the Meuse-Argonne,
Unbeknownst to most, lo,300,000+ lost, at last, won;
Labeled: 'probably the bloodiest single battle in U.S. history',
Yet, it remains to all but those most learned, a mystery!
Waged by leaders like Pershing, Liggett and Gouraud-
All those they led, gallantry and courage they did show!
Our efforts focused outside of a town named Verdun,
Most would concur, this is where the War was won!
Americans, French, even Australians, fought side-by-side-
In this righteous battle against evil, they weren't to be denied!
Some just six weeks, though these would change the world-
In the face of unspeakable tyranny, freedom, again, was unfurled!
We shan't ever forget, lest you ever, of what occured-
These grounds are hallowed,15,000 heroes, still interred!
Maurice Harris,20 October 2009
poem by Maurice Harris
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War + Lives add Love = Freedom
Remembered
A nation born from war, for the “purpose” of establishing freedom
A nation divided in war, in an “attempt” to fulfill the goal of freedom
A nation engaged in world wars, in the task of “preserving” freedom
A nation policing the world, in the “pursuit” of freedom
So many young lives have been lost, for the “cause” of freedom
Let us remember those who paid the “ultimate price, ” for freedom
And dear God, please tell us! - “What! ” - is freedom?
We need not war
We need not war, to show us how freedom is made
What we need is love to show us how freedom is played.
For freedom is not - but to “do as we please”
But rather, to “please others, ” because of what we achieve.
No such thing!
There is no such passion as hate, - only - a mental state
Of ignorance
For what we fail to understand, from our source of knowledge
We choose the accepted norm of utter indifference
Therefore, our feelings of love, we profoundly fear to acknowledge
“Freedom” is to serve
“To serve requires love; only with love, do we obtain freedom”
8/24/06
poem by Dave Tanguay
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Trust
To trust someone
To be trustable one
To love without doubts
To beloved
without whys
Do not forget my friend
Every relationship in our life Is based on trust and faith
You can't love and beloved
If the trust between you is lost
So keep this advice in mind
Be aware my friend
To not betrrayed Someone's trust that can hurt your pride
I want you to always feel proud
Once the trust is lost Nothing could help you in vain
To gain back again
The lost trust to gain
Between two hearts the flame
Of love so soon turns to ashes and pain
Respect of love gets lost
The meaning of love when foist
Only the bad memories stay
They always remain the pain
There in the minds will be left
Those painful memories and the woundful honesty and the trust
With every mention of love
They always bleed in hearts
While the love is lost
Nothing else is left
Just bitter memory of love
Filled with hate and blame
When the pride of love
Will forever cry Alone in the flame of the self blame
poem by Sossi Khachadourian
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The Few, The Brave
As proof of our remembrance, we lay a flag by each and every grave;
With perpetual solemnity, we ensure that it shall always wave
Under the free skies of the land that they and our forebears created:
For God, Duty and Country-they never hesitated
To serve with Honor and Valor for a higher purpose;
All gave some, and some gave all-all, in service
To a most grateful nation, which must always remember,
Whether on a Summer morn in May, or a blustery one in September:
If not for their bravery, indeed, their sacrifice, we'd not be free!
Surely, if I did not take time to pause, I'd not be me-
Because I stand under free skies, and make my very own choices
All because, even from hallowed graves, they provide us voices
In all we do, see, hear, touch, and feel.
No one may blind or mute us, and steal
This freedom away-we will fight as fiercely as they
Should any try-and would rather die than give it away.
This is how we need honor them, each and every day:
To live as they would have, in each and every way.
They did not die in vain, they perished as noble defenders
Of Liberty at all costs, in a world of raucous pretenders.
Their Valor was as uncommon as they were brave;
Due this Gallantry, Freedom and Democracy were saved
From the depths of tyranny, and totalitarian subjugation-
Not the cornerstones upon which to build a nation!
We, the 'many', need always appreciate 'the few, the brave':
Their sacrifice ensures that the flag shall always wave!
-Maurice Harris,29 May 2012
poem by Maurice Harris
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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