One Man's Dream
by Nancy L. Meek ©2002

The soldier stands a lonely watch
as the winds flow softly around him
the war falling somehow silent behind him
its angry din rustling the pages of time

His gun is at-the-ready, still he dreams
as the leaves turn over slowly in his mind
scenes from the past...the bitter sorrows
his imagined tomorrows at this story's end

A quiet glen invades his brain with no remorse
with a moonlit river on a warm summer's eve
days filled with laughter...bright, pure and clean
devoid of the horrors his eyes have seen

With no reprieve, the images flow ethereal
constant reminders of the way life used to be
unmarred by war's unsanctified demolition
destroying any hope of one man's dream

Can he ever go back to the beginning of time
rip the pages from the splines of his war's tome
return home the man his family used to know
before his dreams were dashed against the shore

The smell of napalm leeches through the trees
embeds into his nostrils the rancid odor of war
the finger of fate scribing his final hoary ending
its bloody nail silent, deadly; and inside he screams

Suffer the little children for the sins of the fathers
perpetuating the same old-yet-new acts of yore
ever-fighting...freshly-dying for a brighter tomorrow
with no way in sight to stop the circle of sorrow

Standing on the summit, eons pass before his eyes
former missions dig their teeth into his history
while monolithic conundrums refuse to subside
with each battle climax only agitating the mystery

What of tomorrow?...he wonders. Will he survive?
Will duty and honor be enough to withstand the day
this hour...this minute...this second...or will he die
watching his dream rush the blazing sun far away

Will his family know him when and if he returns?
What gifts of war will he bring his unborn children?
Can he lift the pieces of his life from the battle floor
put them back together and continue on as before?

Or will he forever be changed, standing a lone watch
waiting, praying for the author to create a new page
erase the painful leaves burning in his soul today
return his dream mankind so savagely stole away

As the hot winds of war swirl, crouching, close in
as peace and freedom vanish right in front of him
the Sun in Heaven, like Hell burning, now just a star
leaves him parched, thirsting still for mirages afar

***************************************



peacedove



Stay Here With Me
by Nancy L. Meek ©2002

You have been to Hell and back
Only to return
Haven't you?
Still shackled by firey chains
Still burning you,
Still tugging at you
Still searching for answers

As an ungrateful nation
Took pleasure in spitting on you
Incessantly cursing you
Pointing its finger at you
As if you were the one to blame
For the consequences
Of the decisions of kings

A martyr for their cause
You suffer without empathy
Still feeling alone
Still so far from home
Searching for the end of the pain
The chains of Hell still choking
What little of you remains

Do you like what you see
Back there?
Doesn't it scare the Hell out of you
Looking over your shoulder
Going back there?
I would think it must.

So, don't go, my Love!
Stay here with me!
Rest your weary head
upon my breast, supple and warm
Allow my cool, perfumed hand
To smooth your furrowed brow
Let my kisses close your lids
Shutting out a frustrating world

Then dream, my Sweet,
of naught
but beautiful tomorrows
Peaceful shores greening
Autumn breezes blowing
Oceans of endless loving
Drowning all your sorrows

Let them pour from your soul
like water over the falls
Let it go...let it go
I'm here to catch you
Turn around
Fall into my arms
You'll see

Then when the tears
begin falling
And your body racks
from the pain of it all
My lips will be here
to brush them softly away
Forever and a day

So come now, my Love
Don't pull away
We haven't much time
To break those chains
An eternity will be here
before you know it
******************



E-mail Your Comments To:
Lilripple@hotmail.com


Click On Dove To Return Home!
Castle Chambers...Poetry by Lilripple


'Independence Day'...'Welcome Home'...'Just Souls'    'For Our Boys Who Made It Home'


Photo Credit: Courtesy of DoD

















































Thank You For Stopping By!