|
UNSUNG
HERO
And on
your sixty-fifth Betty baked a cake.
You blew
the candles out and then
Unwrapped
our sentiments,
And
graciously accepted them.
Over
cake and ice cream the conversation turned,
And
Jeremy's ears pricked,
"You won
medals in the war!"
"Why
don't you ever wear them?"
"Will
you show them to me please?"
So
mémère brings the medals out,
"This
one's for good conduct, this one marksmanship..."
A little
littany ensues. We sit engrossed,
An
audience in a little theatre, viewing
"The
Adventures of an Unsung Hero."
"...No,
I never got a Purple Heart -
A bullet
once grazed the back of my hand,
But it
didn't bleed..."
I wonder
- unseen wounds and unshown medals -
How many
more are they,
The
hidden scars of wars
That
history wont record,
And
trophies undisplayed
Earned
for deeds unsung?
"...Yes,
I suppose I should send for that POW medal..."
And I'm
only just now
Getting
to know you.
words:
Father's Day 1990
music:
Father's Day 1992
for Raymond J Provencher
1925-2008
|
|