Thursday, December 16, 2010

Whose Watchful Eye

A Soldier’s Christmas Poem
~ written by a Marine stationed in Okinawa Japan


'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 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 May God Bless You This Night."




























msnbc























































 The Seattle Times








Come home soon, safe, and successful.
Merry Christmas


7 comments:

Tina said...

I've heard this poem many times, and it chokes me up every time. We owe so much to our soldiers. The pictures you added really brought the message home. Thanks.

My Grama's Soul said...

Oh dear lady.....this poem made me cry this morning.....sometimes I have my own little pity party going on...and I SO FORGET OF ALL THE REALLY BIG ISSUES IN THE WORLD!!

Thank you for sharing this.

Xo

Jo

Little Messy Missy said...

xoxoxoxox

Anonymous said...

beautiful! and it made me cry too! our boys & girls so far from home I had to share it with my friends on fb too the soldiers on the phone and the one smelling the envelope tug my heart strings the most! thanks for sharing this

June said...

Beautiful! I am sitting here humbled and blessed. Thank you sooo much for sharing this sweet friend.
Long Christmas hugs to you!!!

Kelly A. Harmon said...

Lovely. And I agree whole-heartedly with the last sentiment: Come Home Safe and Sound.

Nancy K. said...

What a wonderful post!
We need to remember them EVERY day but most especially at Christmas.

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