Ode to Veterans


November 11, 2007.

Thank you, all veterans of all times.

I remembered an old poem my mom wrote, and rummaged around this morning and thankfully found it. Her father was a WWI veteran. He spent the last decade of his life confined to a wheelchair, the result of mustard gas from the war. My grandpa died before I had the chance to meet him. But, thanks, Grandpa.

ODE TO VETERANS
by my mother

Have you survived the overflowing banks
of spring?
Tramped the long road of summer to the end?
Withstood the heartbreak and chill all
autumns bring?
Seen winter come, and still have breath to
spend?

Then I salute you, veteran of earth’s day.
You who have flown from dawn to set of sun.
Soon you will rise beyond the Milky Way
The toast of all in heaven, the long race won.

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9 Responses

  1. SmallWorld November 10th, 2007 at 10:54 am

    What a beautiful poem!

  2. mrs darling November 10th, 2007 at 6:17 pm

    what a wonderful poem. I’ve been trying to think of ways we can celebrate veterans day tomorrow and with everything going on its so hard to puy a plan together.

  3. e-Mom November 11th, 2007 at 12:00 pm

    This is a beautiful poem. Please thank your sweet Mom for me. I am printing as we speak… :~D

  4. Jen November 11th, 2007 at 6:40 pm

    Smallworld, thanks, I’ll let me mom know!

    Mrs. Darling, I have an idea for celebrating Veterans Day. :-) See my next post!

    e-Mom, I will thank her, and I’m glad you like it enough to print it! It’s definitely applicable to all people, all “veterans of earth’s day.”

  5. Riley November 11th, 2007 at 7:04 pm

    Beautiful. I was just listening to a radio interview with one of the 7 WWII veterans who were awarded France’s Legion of Honor during the French President’s visit to the US. Amazing what they’ve done for us.

  6. Jen November 20th, 2007 at 9:00 pm

    Riley, I’ll have to try to find that radio interview – was it NPR? Or a local station? Maybe it’s too hard to track down, but if it was on a national program, perhaps I’ll get lucky.

  7.   Before You Go November 11th, 2008 at 12:30 pm

    [...] my blog post from Veterans Day last [...]

  8. david November 20th, 2008 at 8:22 am

    hi this is a poam i made on veterans day pls forgive the spelling. its a tribute to all you brave men and woman To all our falling soilders we salute to this day/the hell of seeing your friends get blown away/come back to the world to the world to get treated like refusse/please understand our support never left you/while hippies were feeling groovy and taking drugs/you were up to your boots in the blood and the mud/thanks to the brave troops keeping the stars and stripes alive/ I hold nothing but respect in these brown eyes/ god blees and you brave men and women

  9. Jacquelynn November 10th, 2011 at 9:49 am

    Wonderful poem. I found this by chance as I was trying to find an ode to veterans to post on our club’s facebook page. It is perfect! If you ever have the chance, visit us at http://www.facebook.com/lakesidefrontierriders and you will see the post honoring your mother’s poem and our veterans. Thank you for sharing!
    -Jacquelynn

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