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Among the Trees

I have always felt at home when I would stand among the trees.
Perhaps because when I was small, I only looked at knees.
The real folks were above me, just like being in the wood,
I hear the chattering and the calls. I’d answer if I could.

My father was a tall man, of tanned and rugged face,
And I never had a fear at all when I was at my place,
Standing in the shade of him, and leaning with my hand,
And anything he stood for always helped me make my stand.

He spoke with quiet wisdom with a voice that could shake walls,
And responded every chance he had to any neighbor’s calls.
My father had the grace and strength, and bearing of an oak,
We didn’t have much money but that man could not be broke.

He knew he had a job to do, and did it with a smile,
And didn’t mind the resting at the ending of the mile.
For every daily journey had a place to stop and say,
I think I’ve done the best I could, I’m finished for today.

He was connected to the world, in ways that I am not.
With patience and persistence, and some skills that I’ve forgot,
He incremented victory in little, measured ways,
That satisfied his need for moving forward with his days.

He could have used ten lifetimes to advance his causes dear,
His patience would have seen him through the work he had down here.
He should have tried to get a lot more people for the task,
And they probably would have done it if he only thought to ask.

But he perceived it as his own, the row he had to hoe,
And he bent into the grind each day with little for to show,
For all his noble effort that he was even there at all.
The world he had to change was big, and he was rather small.

But he was big enough to me, I saw the marks he made,
And knew he could have won the game if only he had stayed.
One man alone can’t straighten out the world the way it’s bent.
But he can help to clear a path to show the way he went.

And others can then follow on, and do their work in turn.
Perhaps there will be some who can help others try to learn;
The good things that a man attempts don’t end when he must wane,
But only when we lose the golden dreams he hoped to gain.

NicknamedBob . . . . . . . . . 4/16/2004 and 7/7/2004
© 2004 - 2005

Have a Happy Paul Bunyan Day!

Stonewall Jackson's Grave

Strangers pause at this mound of clay
See, it is fresh and was made today
Neath it a hero's remains now rest
Who by his country will ever be blest,
Here softly he sleeps,
While a nation weeps
O'er the early grave
Of our Jackson brave!

Strong was his arm for his country's right
Bold was his heart in the midst of his fight,
Ever the first and the last on the field,
He knew how to conquer but not how to yield,
Till the Angel of Death
Obstructed his path,
And called him away

From the field of the fray,
Yet, though never again he'll lead
Armies who count it an ample mead
Still he shall live through our Southern land,
For his glorious name,
On the pillar of fame,
That will rise in our land
Still the highest shall stand

And when ages have passed away,
Lovers of freedom who come this way,
Ever will pause at this humble mound,
Saying to those who are grouping around,
"There softly he sleeps
Whom a nation weeps
Stonewall, the brave
In his early grave!"

-- Poem Published Mar. 22, 1869
in Weston Democrat, Weston, WV

Guardians of the Night

Trust in me, my friend, for I am your comrade.
I will protect you with my last breath
When all others have left you
And the loneliness of the night closes in
I will be at your side.

Together we will conquer all obstacles
And search out those
Who might wish harm to others.
All I ask of you is compassion,
The caring touch of your hands.

It is for you that I will unselfishly give my life
And spend my nights un-rested.
Although our days together may be marked
By the passing of the seasons
Know that each day at your side is my reward.

My days are measured by
The coming and going of your footsteps.
I anticipate them at every opening of the door.
You are the voice of caring when I am ill
The voice of authority when I've done wrong.

Do not chastise me unduly
For I am your right arm
The sword at your side.
I attempt to do only what you bid of me.
I seek only to please you and remain in your favor.

Together you and I shall experience
A bond only others like us will understand
When outsiders see us together
Their envy will be measured by their disdain.

I will quietly listen to you
And pass no judgment,
Nor will your spoken words be repeated
I will remain ever silent
Ever vigilant, ever loyal.

And when our time together is done
And you move on in the world
Remember me with kind thoughts and tales
For a time we were unbeatable
Nothing passed among us undetected.

If we should meet again on another street
I will gladly take up your fight
I am a Police Working Dog
And together we are guardians of the night.

-- Author unknown