A beautiful sight, unearthly to see.
A handful of children sit near their grandfather's knee,
To hear a tale that he loved so well to tell the
children as they listened quietly.
Giggles stop and playful smiles fade as the
grandfather begins to speak.
Faces lined with interest as the wee ones
listen and the older children wisdom from the
old, silver headed man seek.
" Over a battlefield laid a blanket of red.
T'was the blood that our soldiers had shed.
For freedom has a price to be paid.
The debt is steep and the angels still weep
for the price that was on their heads."
"The war raged on and on and it seemed
as if all hope was gone.
Even the stronger ones couldn't hold a gun.
It seemed as if the battle would end and
the enemy would win.
Faith had long since fled."
" When all of a sudden a young man cried
out and pointed towards the sky.
There on the horizon was a beautiful
sight.
For through all the gun smoke and dark
skies was seen our red,white, and blue
symbol still flying in spite of the raging battle.
Riddled with bullet holes she still stood proud
as if to shout her message of an undefeated destiny."
"Hope swelled within the Soldiers' Bosom
As they saw Old Glory flying in the gentle morning breeze
and the Soldiers rallied themselves
and charged once more into battle"
" The battle was won and the enemy was forced
to retreat.
Had it not been for our dear flag and her message
that she gave, the battle would have
ended with a bitter story and America's defeat."
"The battle was won and the enemy was forced
to retreat having sustained heavy casualties
and amidst dwindling morale, the enemy tucked tail
and ran back to the safety of an armoured bunker"
The grandfather's eyes twinkled as he placed
a child on his lap and continued,
" The price of freedom isn't free and many leave
home for God, family, love, and country.
So when u see the flag up above your head remember
the cost and the blood that was shed."
"When you feel you can't go on and you feel
all hope is gone, look up and remeber
somehow and some way you will find the
strength to keep on just as the soldiers did
that day."
The grandfather laid back and with a sigh was
asleep.
The children silently snuck out the door
and would return another day.
Thankful for their grandfather's
wisdom they would share it with
the world someday.
A contest entry
- Anything Goes! by Karra-Mayy.
1600 points, ended November 21, 321 entries
• next poem in this contest, • Add to finalists list, or remove from contest
Comments
1 - 6 of 6
-
So sorry, but I have to remove this, due to the rhyming. It was a good piece overall though. Thanks for entering and sorry again.
-
sometimes truth isn't a very pretty picture and reality makes one understand that the hero doesn't win all the time. still honor finds it's way within!
Keep penning on one stroke at a time!
Bill
-
This is a wonderful write that tells a very beautiful and sad story at the same time. A true delight i found here. Such wisdom given in the words to the children. The honor to pay homage and tribute to the soldiers who have fought for their freedom and seen it through to the end. Delighful character portrayal of the grandfather as he lifted that child to his knee and continued on with his story. I could picture that and it made me smile. This was very warming and very tender although the content was something a little harsher. Thanks for sharing.
-
very patriotic here sisseh. The oldies I think have the best stories to tell sometimes
Some of it flowed very well but some was a bit bumpy, but it gave it a unique quality.
-
Well written Annie. I love the flow to this particular poem.
One of the few things i can see is spelling mistakes here and there, but we all make those all the time lol. And i kinda agree that it might have been better as a free verse write, as some of the rhymes are not quite set up right. But all in all amazing job. Love ya!!!
-
A beautiful tale, but possibly might have flowed better if it was a short story, or a free verse prose. Some of the rhyme is a bit choppy, but that's just it for my constructive grammatical criticism. I really loved this, it's very sweet [in the factor of story time and such] and very visionary, graphic and had powerful and immense imagery throughout. Lovely job dearest. ~ Kerri
Adding your comment:
1 - 6 of 6
