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Forums > Social Chat > I got sent this poem and I really like it
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2,905 posts
Location: San Diego California
2,905 posts
Location: San Diego California
Posted:
TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS,
HE LIVED ALL ALONE,
IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE MADE OF
PLASTER AND STONE.
I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY
WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,
AND TO SEE JUST WHO
IN THIS HOME DID LIVE.
I LOOKED ALL ABOUT,
A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,
NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS,
NOT EVEN A TREE.
NO STOCKING BY MANTLE,
JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,
ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES
OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.
WITH MEDALS AND BADGES,
AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,
A SOBER THOUGHT
CAME THROUGH MY MIND.
FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT,
IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,
I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER,
ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.
THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING,
SILENT, ALONE,
CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR
IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.
THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE,
THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER,
NOT HOW I PICTURED
A UNITED STATES SOLDIER.
WAS THIS THE HERO
OF WHOM I'D JUST READ?
CURLED UP ON A PONCHO,
THE FLOOR FOR A BED?
I REALIZED THE FAMILIES
THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,
OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS
WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.
SOON ROUND THE WORLD,
THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,
AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE
A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.
THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM
EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,
BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS,
LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.
I COULDN'T HELP WONDER
HOW MANY LAY ALONE,
ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE
IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.
THE VERY THOUGHT
BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE,
I DROPPED TO MY KNEES
AND STARTED TO CRY.
THE SOLDIER AWAKENED
AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,
"SANTA DON'T CRY,
THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE;
I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM,
I DON'T ASK FOR MORE,
MY LIFE IS FOR MY GOD,
MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS."
THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER
AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP,
I COULDN'T CONTROL IT,
I CONTINUED TO WEEP.
I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS,
SO SILENT AND STILL
AND WE BOTH SHIVERED
FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.
I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE
ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,
THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR
SO WILLING TO FIGHT.
THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,
WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,
WHISPERED, "CARRY ON SANTA,
IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE."
ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH,
AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND,
AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT."
TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS,
HE LIVED ALL ALONE,
IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE MADE OF
PLASTER AND STONE.
I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY
WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,
AND TO SEE JUST WHO
IN THIS HOME DID LIVE.
I LOOKED ALL ABOUT,
A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,
NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS,
NOT EVEN A TREE.
NO STOCKING BY MANTLE,
JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,
ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES
OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.
WITH MEDALS AND BADGES,
AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,
A SOBER THOUGHT
CAME THROUGH MY MIND.
FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT,
IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,
I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER,
ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.
THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING,
SILENT, ALONE,
CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR
IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.
THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE,
THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER,
NOT HOW I PICTURED
A UNITED STATES SOLDIER.
WAS THIS THE HERO
OF WHOM I'D JUST READ?
CURLED UP ON A PONCHO,
THE FLOOR FOR A BED?
I REALIZED THE FAMILIES
THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,
OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS
WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.
SOON ROUND THE WORLD,
THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,
AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE
A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.
THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM
EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,
BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS,
LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.
I COULDN'T HELP WONDER
HOW MANY LAY ALONE,
ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE
IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.
THE VERY THOUGHT
BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE,
I DROPPED TO MY KNEES
AND STARTED TO CRY.
THE SOLDIER AWAKENED
AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,
"SANTA DON'T CRY,
THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE;
I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM,
I DON'T ASK FOR MORE,
MY LIFE IS FOR MY GOD,
MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS."
THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER
AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP,
I COULDN'T CONTROL IT,
I CONTINUED TO WEEP.
I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS,
SO SILENT AND STILL
AND WE BOTH SHIVERED
FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.
I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE
ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,
THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR
SO WILLING TO FIGHT.
THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,
WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,
WHISPERED, "CARRY ON SANTA,
IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE."
ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH,
AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND,
AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT."
Some Jarhead last night: "this dumb a$$ thinks hes fireproof"
member
174 posts
Location: St. Paul, MN USA
174 posts
Location: St. Paul, MN USA
Posted:
Thanks for posting this. It is a beautiuful reminder that if it weren't for soldiers past and present, we may not be able to celebrate such holidays with our own discretion. To all who those who serve in our armed forces, thank you.
Thanks for posting this. It is a beautiuful reminder that if it weren't for soldiers past and present, we may not be able to celebrate such holidays with our own discretion. To all who those who serve in our armed forces, thank you.
Without further guilding the lily and with no more ado, I bid you farewell and sweet dreams...
member
1,591 posts
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada.
1,591 posts
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada.
Posted:
Universal Soldier
(Buffy St. Marie)
He's five foot two and he's six feet four
He fights with missiles and with spears
He's all of thirty one, and he's only seventeen
He's been a soldier for a thousand years
He's a Catholic, a Hindu, an Atheist, a Jain
A Buddhist and a Baptist and a Jew
And he knows he shouldn't kill
And he knows he always will
Kill you for me, my friend and me for you
And he's fighting for Canada, he's fighting for France
He's fighting for the U.S.A.
And he's fighting for the Russians and he's fighting for Japan
And he thinks we'll put an end to war this way
And he's fighting for democracy, he's fighting for the rights
He says it's for the peace of all
He's the one who must decide
Who's to live and who's to die
And he never sees the writing on the wall
But without him how would Hitler have condemned him at Lobach?
Without him Caesar would have stood alone
He's the one who gives his body as a weapon of the war
And without him all this killin' can't go on
He's the universal soldier, and he really is to blame
His orders come from far away no more
They come from here and there and you and me
And brothers, can't you see
This is not the way we put the end to war
[ 16. December 2002, 17:44: Message edited by: Astar ]
Universal Soldier
(Buffy St. Marie)
He's five foot two and he's six feet four
He fights with missiles and with spears
He's all of thirty one, and he's only seventeen
He's been a soldier for a thousand years
He's a Catholic, a Hindu, an Atheist, a Jain
A Buddhist and a Baptist and a Jew
And he knows he shouldn't kill
And he knows he always will
Kill you for me, my friend and me for you
And he's fighting for Canada, he's fighting for France
He's fighting for the U.S.A.
And he's fighting for the Russians and he's fighting for Japan
And he thinks we'll put an end to war this way
And he's fighting for democracy, he's fighting for the rights
He says it's for the peace of all
He's the one who must decide
Who's to live and who's to die
And he never sees the writing on the wall
But without him how would Hitler have condemned him at Lobach?
Without him Caesar would have stood alone
He's the one who gives his body as a weapon of the war
And without him all this killin' can't go on
He's the universal soldier, and he really is to blame
His orders come from far away no more
They come from here and there and you and me
And brothers, can't you see
This is not the way we put the end to war
[ 16. December 2002, 17:44: Message edited by: Astar ]
Enter a "Title" here:
2,905 posts
Location: San Diego California
2,905 posts
Location: San Diego California
Posted:
"A man can live his whole life and at the end, ask himself if he made a difference. A Marine doesn't have to ask that question." JFK
There will always be people who want to take freedome from others, there will always be people like me who will do what it takes to stop them.
"If freedome is real, why can't you walk out on the street and shoot somebody?" Anon.
"A man can live his whole life and at the end, ask himself if he made a difference. A Marine doesn't have to ask that question." JFK
There will always be people who want to take freedome from others, there will always be people like me who will do what it takes to stop them.
"If freedome is real, why can't you walk out on the street and shoot somebody?" Anon.
Some Jarhead last night: "this dumb a$$ thinks hes fireproof"
member
1,591 posts
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada.
1,591 posts
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada.
Posted:
Your missing the point.
Your missing the point.
SILVER Member
100 characters max...
2,996 posts
Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia
100 characters max...
2,996 posts
Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia
Posted:
I don't think he is.
"He's the universal soldier, and he really is to blame
His orders come from far away no more
They come from here and there and you and me
And brothers, can't you see
This is not the way we put the end to war"
protecting freedom is an order that comes from you and me. Soldiers and arms are the best solution we have come up with so far for this problem.
So if you don't like this solution, which I really don't, then come up with a better solution and work to implement it. And don't condemn someone for doing something which we have asked them to do.
I don't think he is.
"He's the universal soldier, and he really is to blame
His orders come from far away no more
They come from here and there and you and me
And brothers, can't you see
This is not the way we put the end to war"
protecting freedom is an order that comes from you and me. Soldiers and arms are the best solution we have come up with so far for this problem.
So if you don't like this solution, which I really don't, then come up with a better solution and work to implement it. And don't condemn someone for doing something which we have asked them to do.
It was a day for screaming at inanimate objects.
What this calls for is a special mix of psychology and extreme violence...
member
1,591 posts
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada.
1,591 posts
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada.
Posted:
Heh way to ignore the rest of the poem and focus on one line.
Im not trying to debate here. All im saying is "hey look a diffrent perspective" and I did not condem anyone.
Heh way to ignore the rest of the poem and focus on one line.
Im not trying to debate here. All im saying is "hey look a diffrent perspective" and I did not condem anyone.
Enter a "Title" here:
2,905 posts
Location: San Diego California
2,905 posts
Location: San Diego California
Posted:
This is the 3rd year in a row that I have had aboslutly 0 family around. This was something that reminded me of why I have to spend the holidays in a forgine country and bring up my moral. I hoped it would help others (if there are any) in a similer situation.
Thank you for really driving my happy mood into the mud, thank you for attacking my moral boost.
I do have to remember I am not here for me, I am here for YOU!
This is the 3rd year in a row that I have had aboslutly 0 family around. This was something that reminded me of why I have to spend the holidays in a forgine country and bring up my moral. I hoped it would help others (if there are any) in a similer situation.
Thank you for really driving my happy mood into the mud, thank you for attacking my moral boost.
I do have to remember I am not here for me, I am here for YOU!
Some Jarhead last night: "this dumb a$$ thinks hes fireproof"
SILVER Member
100 characters max...
2,996 posts
Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia
100 characters max...
2,996 posts
Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia
Posted:
There is one key pivotal section in your poem that guides the message of it:
The second point argued by the poem is that without the support of individuals in a military situation, despotic leaders would never have had any form of success.
I could be picky and point out the inherent contradiction between the initial thrust which dubs the soldier as the decision-maker, and the second thrust which dubs the soldier as the tools of the decision-makers. However I am not going to as there is a fundamental truth in what is being argued, being that soldiers bear a responsibility for the actions of their leaders, simply by deciding to follow orders. (I would also like to point out that this decision is a tough one, people lose their lives by not following orders, and that is not a situation I would like to live in)
However I would go further. Everytime this poem says "he" or "him", it should be replaced with "we" or "us". We all need to shoulder the responsibility for the atrocities perpetrated in our name.
To lay the blame simply at the door of the common soldier is to shirk our own responsibility. As each time we participate in our cosy western capitalist lives, we are complicit in the actions to protect it.
Is this the different sort of perspective you were looking for?
There is one key pivotal section in your poem that guides the message of it:
quote:This section is the main message I believe you wanted to convey (please correct me if I am wrong). There are two main thrusts to the argument, the first being that the soldier himself has the decision making role "He says it's for the peace of all He's the one who must decide Who's to live and who's to die".
And he's fighting for democracy, he's fighting for the rights
He says it's for the peace of all
He's the one who must decide
Who's to live and who's to die
And he never sees the writing on the wall
But without him how would Hitler have condemned him at Lobach?
Without him Caesar would have stood alone
He's the one who gives his body as a weapon of the war
And without him all this killin' can't go on
The second point argued by the poem is that without the support of individuals in a military situation, despotic leaders would never have had any form of success.
I could be picky and point out the inherent contradiction between the initial thrust which dubs the soldier as the decision-maker, and the second thrust which dubs the soldier as the tools of the decision-makers. However I am not going to as there is a fundamental truth in what is being argued, being that soldiers bear a responsibility for the actions of their leaders, simply by deciding to follow orders. (I would also like to point out that this decision is a tough one, people lose their lives by not following orders, and that is not a situation I would like to live in)
However I would go further. Everytime this poem says "he" or "him", it should be replaced with "we" or "us". We all need to shoulder the responsibility for the atrocities perpetrated in our name.
To lay the blame simply at the door of the common soldier is to shirk our own responsibility. As each time we participate in our cosy western capitalist lives, we are complicit in the actions to protect it.
Is this the different sort of perspective you were looking for?
It was a day for screaming at inanimate objects.
What this calls for is a special mix of psychology and extreme violence...
Enter a "Title" here:
2,905 posts
Location: San Diego California
2,905 posts
Location: San Diego California
Posted:
Reminds himself not to argue with the one he loves anymore hehe
Reminds himself not to argue with the one he loves anymore hehe
Some Jarhead last night: "this dumb a$$ thinks hes fireproof"
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