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A Cup of Yesterday! |
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Pour me a cup
Of yesterdays,
Put in a teaspoon
Of the sun's rays.
Stir in the colors
Of the Rainbow,
Which follows the storm,
And the waters below.
Add the memories
Of our youth,
And the companions
Of Truth
Sip the elixir slowly
As we converse
About our youthful days,
So near our birth.
Pour in the excess
Into the thermos of tomorrow,
Wherein we again may express
The journey of present sorrow.
When the thermos is empty,
And we talk about the past;
We will use our memories,
As long as they shall last.
At the VA just yesterday,
In Albuquerque's town,
I saw memories of war
In the eyes of old men,
As together we sat down.
It was for Freedom
That we gave our youth,
And now we sip that elixir
From the Cup of Truth.
We do not seek your pity,
Now that we're old;
Just think of us as Vets
Who have come in from the cold.
We have not forgotten Freedom,
Nor the waving of the flag;
And we'd fight again from wheelchairs,
Even though our torsos now sag.
So, come and have a
Cup of Yesterday with me,
All of you who fought
Upon the Land or upon the sea.
America, we invite you,
To see what war has done.
Just pay a visit to a VA hospital
And see the price of Freedom won!
Sit down with a Vet,
Share a cup of yesterday;
Talk a bit of Freedom,
And then get up and walk away!
But as you walk away,
There are others who must stay,
For memories hold us fast,
And we cannot walk away.
God bless America,
Land of the Brave.
Stand and salute the flag,
And long may she wave!
Here today,
Gone tomorrow;
No more pain,
No more sorrow!
On heaven's shore,
We'll forget all sorrow,
And drink not from the cup of yesterday,
But from the Cup of Tomorrow! |
By
C. Douglas Caffey
Copyright 2002
Listed March
4, 2009 |
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Author's Bio:
C. Douglas Caffey is a disabled veteran of WWII. He
served (1944-1946) in the 509th Composite Bomb Group,
58th Wing, Air Photo Unit, 20th Air Force, United States
Army Air Force. It was the 509th who dropped the atomic
bombs on Japan and did the atom bomb tests at Bikini in
the Pacific. A chronic sufferer of PTSD since WWII, Doug
is a former college dean. He started writing poetry
several years ago and though he doesn't claim to be a
poet, he does claim to write from the heart. |
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