Friday 11 November 2011

11.11.11 - Lest We Forget


I wear mine with pride.






Sent to me by a friend.


Her hair was up in a pony tail,

Her favorite dress tied with a bow.
Today was Daddy's Day at school,
And she couldn't wait to go.

But her mommy tried to tell her,
That she probably should stay home.
Why the kids might not understand,
If she went to school alone.

But she was not afraid;
She knew just what to say.
What to tell her classmates
Of why he wasn't there today.

But still her mother worried,
For her to face this day alone.
And that was why once again,
She tried to keep her daughter home.

But the little girl went to school
Eager to tell them all.
About a dad she never sees
A dad who never calls.
There were daddies along the wall,
For everyone to meet.
Children squirming impatiently,
Anxious in their seats

One by one the teacher called
A student from the class.
To introduce their daddy,
As seconds slowly passed.

At last the teacher called her name,
Every child turned to stare.
Each of them was searching,
A man who wasn't there.

'Where's her daddy?'
She heard a boy call out.
'She probably doesn't have one,'
Another child dared to shout.

And from somewhere near the back,
She heard a daddy say,
'Looks like another deadbeat dad,
Too busy to waste his day.'

The words did not offend her,
As she smiled up at her Mom.
And looked back at her teacher,
Who told her to go on,
And with hands behind her back,
Slowly she began to speak.
And out from the mouth of a child,
Came words incredibly unique.

'My Daddy couldn't be here,
Because he lives so far away.
But I know he wishes he could be,
Since this is such a special day.

And though you cannot meet him,
I wanted you to know.
All about my daddy,
And how much he loves me so.

He loved to tell me stories
He taught me to ride my bike.
He surprised me with pink roses once,
And taught me to fly a kite.

We used to share fudge sundaes,
And ice cream in a cone.
And though you cannot see him.
I'm not standing here alone.

Cause my daddy's always with me
Even though were apart
I know because he told me.

He'll forever be in my heart
With that, her little hand reached up
And lay upon her chest
Feeling her own heartbeat

Beneath her favorite dress.
And from somewhere in the crowd of dads,
Her mother stood in tears.
Proudly watching her daughter,
Who was wise beyond her years.

For she stood up for the love
Of a man not in her life.
Doing what was best for her,
Doing what was right.

And when she dropped her hand back down,
Staring straight into the crowd.
She finished with a voice so soft,
But it's message clear and loud.

'I love my daddy very much,
he's my shining star.
And if he could, he'd be here,
But heaven's just too far.

You see he is a soldier
And died just this past year
When a roadside bomb hit his convoy
And taught us all to fear
But sometimes when I close my eyes,
it's like he never went away.'
And then she closed her eyes,
And saw him there that day.

And to her mothers amazement,
She witnessed with surprise.
A room full of daddies and children,
All starting to close their eyes.

Who knows what they saw before them,
Who knows what they felt inside.
Perhaps for merely a second,
They saw him at her side.

"I know your with me Daddy"
To the silence she called out


******


They went with songs to the battle, they were young.
Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
will remember them.

Lest we forget.

******

To all our brave men and women wherever your serving
I know it isn't enough
but THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts.

We Will Never Forget.



Ronnie
xx

20 comments:

Dee said...

Ah Ronnie, I've heard this poem before, if there's ever a moral of the story, it's in this poem eh.
I wear mine with pride too.

Dee x

Anonymous said...

We will never forget. Thank you for sharing this poem.

joey

a hidden slave said...

Always

Anonymous said...

In remembrance... Peace... to those left behind who are suffering immeasurable loss, to those no longer with us making the last great journey and out across the wide world, for all our sakes... Peace.

with love
XX TMT

Our Bottoms Burn said...

As a Vietnam Vet, I really appreciate the people who take the time to remember. We will spend this weekend with both active and retired service people.

Aimless Rambling said...

Thank you for sharing. I have a tendency to forget the sacrifices made for our freedom. Thank you for reminding me.
May Peace rule the world

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

I ended up with tears falling fast after reading your post. Thanks for the reminder of what is important to remember.

Love,
Kitty

faerie wings said...

No fair making me cry Ronnie. It was very touching. I have a sibling who has served for 20 years in the Navy and been deployed many times. The support is wonderful.

Unknown said...

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But, dont forget to give us your comment into my blog ya.

Thanks for share.

Anonymous said...

I'm glad I wasn't at work today.Sometimes you just need to be on your own and ponder.I'll be taking our cub group to church this Sunday.They always behave impeccably.One should never underestimate how deep a child can think...as the poem so aptly demonstrates.Thanks.Sarah,LD,UK

Hermione said...

A lovely poem, Ronnie. We should remember our heroes every day, not just for 2 minutes once a year. The stretch of highway along which our fallen soldiers travel has been named the "Highway of Heroes" and anyone who drives along it must think of their sacrifice.

Hugs,
Hermione

ronnie said...

Dee - I'm happy to see our younger generation wearing them. Thank you.

Joey - I'm glad we have a day like this. Thanks.

AHS - 'Always and Forever' Thank you.

TMT - Peace yes. We remember the fallen but sadly forget their families. Thank you.
OBB - We all should remember. I salute you and your vet friends Bogey. Thanks.

SG - We all do at times but good that we have a day that we can come together to remember the fallen and our brave heroes serving now. Thanks

Kitty - I did the same the first time I read it. Thank you.

Faerie - It is touching. I honour your sibling Faerie. Thanks.

Praseyso. Hello and welcome. Thank you for stopping by and yes I will pop over to your blog.

Sarah - I know what you mean about being on your own and ponder on a day like this. Everyone in our office building gathered over at our local park at 11.00. We hope to go to The National Memorial Arboretum on Sunday.

Hermione - Your so right. I've been saying the same for ages. That a wonderful tribute to the fallen. Thanks.

Love,
Ronnie
xx

Daisychain said...

Everyone at work stopped for 2 minutes today...it was so touching to see that even tiny children sat quietly for the whole time... xxxxxxx

abby said...

I have been thinking of my dad all day...a WWII vet. As I read this...the tears came. Thank You to all who so bravely serve. abby

Anonymous said...

Dammit, where's my kleenex? You're not supposed to do this guys, ya know.

Suffolk.Sinner

Anonymous said...

WOW, so powerful and touching. Thank you, Ronnie, and yes, we should always remember.

ronnie said...

Daisy - We did too. It was good to see our youner generation happy to take part. Thanks Daisy.

Abby - Days like this bring back so many memories of loved ones lost. You must be very proud of

SS - Hello and welcome. My eyes still well up every time I read both of these. Thank you for stopping by.

Michael - Everytime I read the first peom I can almost see the little girl standing there so proud talking about her daddy the hero. Could not post anything other than a thank you to all fallen heroes and to our brave men and women serving now. Thanks Michael.

Love,
Ronnie
xx

Anonymous said...

My dad died a few months ago, not in war, but still this is a very touching poem for me, and whenever he visited while I was growing up he bought me and my sister ice cream cones :)

ronnie said...

tlklish - Welcome to you. I am sorry about your father passing away so recently. I hope remembering the happy times with him gives you comfort.

It is a very touching poem, the friend who sent it to me said it reminded her of her father.

Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment.

Love,
Ronnie
xx