|
Legacy |
 |
|
Life’s experience is my legacy
But not of lands or gold consistency.
In my time I have seen both birth and death,
Poverty and wealth,
Honesty and dishonesty,
Good and bad philosophy,
The pure heart of charity,
The face of greed,
And the divine seed.
Like our forefathers
May my children learn,
To walk softly, but carry a big stick.
I offer the wisdom this lesson will return
To know when to walk with softness,
Or the big stick
To pick.
For all things there is a time and season.
Living in peaceful harmony with reason
For I have flown with the hawk,
Considered with the dove,
Pondered the Master’s love.
I’ve heard blatant blasphemy,
Avowed spirituality.
I’ve been lost,
Forsaken
Alone.
I’ve needed saving grace to atone.
I’ve seen evil selfishness,
Blatant pettiness,
Purest love.
I’ve felt great joy from above,
Unexcelled happiness,
Deep despair and sadness
I have looked into the face of the grim reaper,
Borne witness to the circle of life keeper.
My legacy bequeaths moral integrity,
Hands down fundamental honesty,
Fulfilling spirituality,
Simple bravery.
Warning always to yourself be true.
With valued dependability life imbue.
I’ve tried to instill courage, patience, kindness,
Shored with complete trustworthiness.
I want my children in this life to be,
A fitting reflection of me,
Goodly lives honoring,
Right from wrong knowing,
In harmony living,
Singing a joyful,
Heavenly,
Song…
I say above all,
In all you do exude love,
For family, friends, neighbors,
God!
Yourself…
For a person can’t fully others love,
Until they first truly learn to love
Themselves…
There will come a time
In this world’s rotating rhyme,
When valiant peace cannot intercede
Great greed cannot be undone,
For a plethora of heritage’s exist under the sun.
Brave men and true, must take a stand,
Draw a line in the sand.
Then and only then is it time to pick
The warrior’s stick!
For my child, there are madmen in this world,
Malefactors with evil blustering unfurled,
Who brave men must stop,
Evil machination disrupt.
They will not hear your peaceful solution.
These prevaricators bent on violent destruction.
The truth is not in them
Who would spread an ignominious seed,
Of unholy greed,
Who would with ominous evil the world enchain,
Receiving convoluted joy in others pain.
Trampling truths held self evident,
Oppressing nations without due consent.
Sprouting mutiny’s blossom into full scale revolt
Can only be quelled with a thunderbolt.
So with honor, strike while the iron is hot,
Suffer tyranny to arise not,
Or lose all good that peace has wrought
With blood of patriots on battlefields bought.
With all your might fight the good fight
Stand up for the right.
Answer the call
On which depends societies all.
Sacred freedom’s with your life defend
To that life’s very end.
My child, there will always be pathways to choose,
And for every choice there are dues
You will have to pay.
As always there’s the easy way,
The hard way,
The fun way,
The right way,
the wrong way,
your friends way,
Your way,
The ever popular low way
My way or the highway.
Yet it sometimes takes the greatest bravery
To turn the other cheek,
To walk in the footsteps of the Master meek
With forbearing meek and mild,
Bearing innocence of a child.
Know that good men must peaceful seeds sow:
To with pure hearts quell the greater foe,
Replacing angered hearts so peace can grow. |
By
Gary Jacobson
Copyright 2001
Listed
August 22, 2010 |
|
|
About
Author...
In 1966-67, Gary Jacobson served with B Co
2nd/7th 1st Air Cavalry in Vietnam as a combat
infantryman and is the recipient of the Purple
Heart.
Gary, who resides in Idaho writes stories he
hopes are never forgotten, perhaps compelled by
a Vietnamese legend that says, “All poets are
full of silver threads that rise inside them as
the moon grows large.” So Gary says he
writes because “It is that these silver
threads are words poking at me – I must let them
out. I must! I write for my brothers who cannot
bear to talk of what they’ve seen and to educate
those who haven’t the foggiest idea about the
effect that the horrors of war have on
boys-next-door.”
Visit Gary Jacobson's site for more information
It is illegal to
use this poem without the author's permission.
~~ Send your comments and/or use permission request to
Gary Jacobson. ~~ | |
|
Troops and Veterans Poems |
Poem Categories |
|
