Yesterday was the anniversary of the D-Day invasion, so I decided to post this poem, which I wrote a few years ago, in my dad's memory. He was an officer in the Navy; his subchaser was off the coast of France during the invasion.
Memorial Day
On Memorial Day
I think of my father
My father loved the water
He loved to swim
And fish
Gentle waves lapping the shore of a Minnesota lake
Row boat bobbing'In a quiet fierce sun
As we fish and wish
In another time
On another boat
My father sailed the dark waters
Of the Atlantic
Searching for German subs
As the endless waves tossed and rolled
Off the coast of France
Off Normandy
The search among the bobbing waves
For bodies, not for subs
I imagine the noise, the fierce sun
Or maybe it was cloudy
Because my father never talked of it.
My father loved the water
The deep reflective ripples
Blue green gray
Too bright to look at
Dark as the night sky
From Long Island Sound
To Puget Bay
The water called to him
Sparkling cool peaceful
Like the cemetery I stand in
On Memorial Day.
Wow, this is beautiful. I am not sure why, but this line really struck me: I imagine the noise, the fierce sun
ReplyDeleteOr maybe it was cloudy
Because my father never talked of it.
I love the ending, too, and how you linked back to the present of you standing in the cemetery.
Beautiful.
Thank you. My father would never talk about his time in the Navy - he was in the Pacific as well as the Atlantic - so I only learned about what he was doing on D-Day after he died. It was very poignant because he did love the water so much in spite of what must have been a traumatic memory.
DeleteWhat a powerful poem. It seems that often those who have experienced war do not talk much about it. It was the same with my father. He was seriously injured in France, and yet, never talked much about it. Thanks for posting this today.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Yes, I agree - it seems like either they don't talk about it at all, or they feel a need to talk about regularly, especially with fellow ex-soldiers. I used to see a group of WWII vets in a local coffee shop. They seemed to get together every week to talk. I'm sure it was beneficial for them.
DeleteWhat a powerful poem. It seems that often those who have experienced war do not talk much about it. It was the same with my father. He was seriously injured in France, and yet, never talked much about it. Thanks for posting this today.
ReplyDeleteWhat a powerful poem. It seems that often those who have experienced war do not talk much about it. It was the same with my father. He was seriously injured in France, and yet, never talked much about it. Thanks for posting this today.
ReplyDeleteI thank your father for the role he played in a horrible war. You have written an emotional poem to honor him.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteThank you for the poem and the opportunity to remember. A great tribute, well-deserved for the service given.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
ReplyDelete