~~~
Freedom
Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941
The following is a quote of my dad’s own words as he explained his personal response to the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941:
“The dramatic part of my life began, as that of so many members of the armed forces did, on one of the most infamous days in U. S. history — at Pearl Harbor. Even though I was only 17, I talked my dad and step-mom into signing their permission for me to enter the Marine Corps and do as much as I could to help win that war and make it as short as possible.
“Actually, I had always wanted to be a Marine. All through high school, it was my dream. At the age of 15, I’d felt the call of God on my heart to become a preacher of the Gospel, but as far as I could tell, that wouldn’t preclude my serving my country as well. And if I were going to serve, I was going to be a Marine!”
~~~
What Will You Do If . . . ?
One of my favorite poets, Dennis O’Brien, from Australia, just keeps writing limericks that shine a bright light on so much of what is going wrong in our world right now and how vital it is that we look the truth in the eye and start dealing with it. He’s a master of the social satire poem, and I don’t purpose to set myself up as his peer. However, his work has challenged me to use what poetic gift I have to at least say something from this side of the “pond,” so here’s my two cents’ worth to add a little more food for thought and a little more fuel to the fire.
WHAT WILL YOU DO IF . . . ?
I am tired of this guy, Mr. O.
I’m thinking he really should go.
But there’s some that believe
He has tricks up his sleeve,
And he has some surprises in store.
It’s conjectured he’ll stir up some strife,
And when hell’s broken loose, and hate’s rife,
Then he’ll cry, “Martial Law,”
And our freedoms, they’ll fall,
But he’ll claim it’s about saving life.
So the white house would remain his home,
Oval office desk chair still his throne,
‘Til the strife could be fixed
All elections he’d nix,
And a third term conveniently own.
Such conjectures: I pray they are lies.
Our forefathers would bitter tears cry
If they had to behold
As our arms we just fold
And allow blood-bought freedom to die.
~~~
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Silent Sunday
~~~
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What? Valentine’s Day Just Around the Corner???
Oh my word!!! Look at that calendar. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and here I am without a valentine to call my own.
The truth is that I’d like to fall in love again, but I’m just not sure I want to have to deal with all the responsibility that comes with it. Life is so much more complicated when you’re in love, but then it doesn’t shine quite as brightly when you’re not. I may need to do some soul-searching during this “season of love.”
Well, in the meantime, let me be the first to wish everyone a Happy Valentine’s Day! Here’s a little poem from my archives to get you in the mood.
LOVE’S FREEDOM
I turned to Love and said, “I must be free.”
And Love said, “Surely. Take your liberty.”
I asked, “In truth? You set me free to roam?”
Then Love replied, “Just please remember home.”
And so I flew to north, south, east, and west.
And, finally, back to home I came to rest.
Then turned to Love and said, “You were so brave,
To let me try my wings. So much you gave.”
Love smiled and said, “Refusal to set you free
Would mean I loved — not you — but only me.”
♥
Breaking Free
Running wild:
Ripping up the fetters that bound me tight;
Tearing down the walls that kept me hidden;
Forcing my way through the bolted doors.
At last —
I’m free to be me!
~
~~~~~~
Friday Fictioneers – 1/10/14 — Free
Yay! I get to take part this week. Our photo comes from fellow writer Dawn Q. Landau. My story is below.
FREE
Nick jerked awake in the prison’s isolation cell when the earth began to shake violently. An eerie light suffused the night sky outside the high window, explaining the situation well enough: Mt. Hideki had erupted.
Suddenly the concrete prison complex began to shift and groan, and before he could think how to protect himself, the entire building began to slide down the ridge toward the sea. Momentum from the slide increased pressure, and as it reached the beach, the building broke apart completely. He felt his own cell block stop suddenly, but heard an ear-splitting roar as the remainder of the prison rushed into the angry sea.
He was free.
~~~
Visit our hostess, Rochelle, to find out how you can take part in the fun.
http://rochellewisofffields.wordpress.com/2014/01/08/10-january-2013/
~~~
‘As I Sat on the Bus’ Writing Challenge – Week of 6/30/13 – A Poem
AS I SAT ON THE BUS THINKING — A POEM
As I sat on the trundling bus,
My love was on my mind:
I thought of him so tall and strong
But not especially kind.
I thought about how cruel his words
When he’s displeased with me;
How perfect he esteems himself,
Yet all my faults can see.
I thought about the gifts I’ve giv’n;
His lack of gifts to me;
I thought how tight he holds the reins:
How I am never free.
And as my journey was quite long,
And thinking time was rich,
I thought how happy I would be
If my love I would ditch!
Bye-bye, Love!
~~~
To join the fun of this unique writing challenge, visit Bumba’s blog here.
Hatred & War Cannot Quench Love
Civil War Soldier Sullivan Ballou Echoes King Solomon.
The Song of Songs, by King Solomon, says, “Set me as a seal upon thine heart … for love is strong as death. … Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it.” (Songs of Songs 8:6-7). Those words were penned many centuries ago by an Israelite king, but during the American Civil War, a Union soldier penned words that echoed those of Solomon, almost exactly, in a letter to his wife about one week before he died.
Major Sullivan Ballou poured out his heart to the one woman he knew would understand it, his wife Sarah. He told her, “Sarah, my love for you is deathless. It seems to bind me with mighty cables that nothing but Omnipotence can break. Yet my love of country comes over me like a strong wind and bears me … to the battlefield.” In another statement he describes the level of his commitment to his love of country as well as his wife: “I know … how great a debt we owe to those who went before us, through the blood and suffering of the Revolution, and I am … perfectly willing to lay down all my joys in this life to maintain this government and to pay that debt.”
In those words, Sullivan Ballou spoke for every American soldier who has left loved ones safe at home to go into hate-filled, death-filled foreign lands and willingly give everything he had — including his own life — to make sure those loved ones were kept safe — and that the nation whose constitution undergirded that safety was defended and secured from all that would try to destroy it.
In every war that America has fought, thousands of her soldiers have gone courageously into harm’s way because they believed in the truth that “love is strong as death.” They believed that all the hatred and all the wars this world will ever know cannot quench love. And they have been right: ALL THE HATRED AND ALL THE WARS THIS WORLD WILL EVER KNOW CANNOT QUENCH LOVE — because real love comes from only one source: the eternal, unfathomable, unquenchable Creator of the universe. It is He who gives soldiers like Sullivan Ballou the unquenchable love that he writes about in his letter — love for his wife — and love for his country and all it represents to millions of people who long with all their hearts for freedom and security.
~~~
Love’s Freedom
I turned to Love and said, “I must be free.”
And Love said, “Surely. Take your liberty.”
I asked, “In truth? You set me free to roam?”
Then Love replied, “Just please remember home.”
And so I flew to north, south, east, and west.
And finally back to home I came to rest.
Then turned to Love and said, “You were so brave,
To let me try my wings. So much you gave.”
Love smiled and said, “Refusal to set you free
Would mean I loved — not you — but only me.”
© Sandra Conner 2012
Love’s Freedom
I turned to Love and said, “I must be free.”
And Love said, “Surely. Take your liberty.”
I asked, “In truth? You set me free to roam?”
Then Love replied, “Just please remember home.”
And so I flew to north, south, east, and west.
And finally back to home I came to rest.
Then turned to Love and said, “You were so brave,
To let me try my wings. So much you gave.”
Love smiled and said, “Refusal to set you free
Would mean I loved — not you — but only me.”
The Happy Wordcrafter 
