Poems of War & Suffering
The Year of the Great Suffering
I remember as a child
the day the B29's bombed Japan
and then, from Tinian, the future deliverance
wrecked havoc on Nagasaki,
For that was the year of the Great Suffering.
I remember Korea, Israel, Egypt
Ireland, Vietnam
and the agony of the dying
and the agony of the tears,
For that was the year of the Great Suffering.
I remember the cold, dark and windy skies of Dallas,
and then Robert, and then Martin
and the desolation of the people
and the hurt and disillusionment,
For that was the year of the Great Suffering.
I remember Biafra and the starving,
Iran, Iraq and Desert Storm,
and the Trade Center today still trading* -
and Oklahoma City and the children -
the children who died so quickly
they still are laughing and still playing,
For that was the year of the Great Suffering.
And today, waiting for fulfillment
of prophecy from all written scripture
before The Most Great Peace shall come.
The final cleansing.
The ultimate purification
The ultimate of sacrifice
in reaching for tomorrow.
And the future will remember us -
And the future will shed tears for us -
Remembering all the years
of the Most Great Suffering.
*this poem was written by Robert prior to the events of 9-11-2001
My Dream
I am a dreamer.
A hopeless, eternal dreamer.
I dream not of what is,
But of what could be.
I dream that Mothers' sons
Will never die in war again,
For on one bright sunny day,
While God was sitting at the Computer of Life,
He deleted hate from all our memory banks.
Prejudice could no longer be accessed,
And all that remained
was an error message within our minds.
I am a dreamer,
A hopeless, eternal dreamer.
I dream not of what is,
But of what should be.
I dream of children everywhere,
Being held and being loved.
CNN no longer has pictures to show
of children who lie dying on the ground,
Reaching out for help and hope.
Children more bone than flesh,
Who plead for nourishment
As they take their final breath;
But the only one who could offer
Sustenance of milk and bread
Must continue to roll the film
within their camera instead.
I am a dreamer.
A hopeless, eternal dreamer.
I dream not of what is,
But of what may be.
I dream of civil servants
Who are both civil and servants.
They are rich of the earth,
Who are required to pay
One year of servitude in lieu of tax,
And do so willingly,
For this is their true reward.
I dream that justice will be proclaimed
The Patron Saint of all the courts - in every land.
That killing, rape and violence
Is an obscure chapter in some forgotten history text.
For I am a dreamer,
A hopeless, eternal dreamer.
I dream not of what is,
But of what must be.
I dream that love and beauty
Are the food we eat,
And all the clothes we wear.
That flowers be declared legal tender,
And "In God We Trust" be embossed on every petal,
And Praise to God be mentioned everywhere.
For I am a dreamer,
A hopeless, eternal dreamer,
I dream not what is,
But that you share this dream with me.