| |
Poetry by our Brothers
The Cable Tow
by C. C. Hunt
Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Iowa, 1939
How long is your cable-tow, brother?
Does it span across the street?
Can it stretch the length of a hand-throw,
Or perhaps a thousand feet?
Is there any definite measure
That cold mathematics may teach
To give the scope of your cable,
And limit its ultimate reach?
For who shall count in units
Of foot, or yard or mile,
The length of a hearty handshake,
The breadth of a cheery smile;
Or estimate the distance
A human heart may go,
When a brother reaches a brother
With the length of his cable-tow?
Every one has his troubles;
Reverses and sorrows must come;
And the hour of sorest trial
Is when they are striking home;
And sickness and death are the portion
That fate allots to all—
Our brother is sitting in sackcloth,
And his face is to the wall.
Ah, then is the time propitious—
Occasion waits sublime—
For the cable reaches farther
Than at any other time.
For the pull is very little,
And it giveth strength to the strong.
How long is your cable-tow, brother?
How long—how long?"
The Veteran
by George D. Cael, PM of Carrollton Lodge 1400
In recognition of Pearl Harbor Day
Who is he, this stalwart man who answered freedom’s call
Who left home and friends and family and answered his nation’s call
This man who risked all he had or ever hoped to be
In foreign land, or in the air, or upon a foreign sea
He, who endured the worst of times and saw his brothers’ fall
Who suffered wounds that go so deep, we’ll never see them all
Who every time he closes his eyes, the terror still revives
Of bleeding men and sinking ships, or flaming planes in firry skies
Most will never be the same, nor could they ever be
Not the bright eyed boys, full of life, climbing in your tree
Certainly not the ones who died, upon that foreign sod
Some of whom were never found, known only to God
He is no different than any other, this man we owe so much
He loves his God, his country, and craves his children’s touch
Yet, left them all, when called upon, and went into that hell
Where he stood the test of fire, facing shot and shell
And let us not forget the girls, the WAFs, the WACs, the WAVEs
Or all the sacrifices that they made, and all the lives they saved
They of gentle nature, born not to war but born to wife
They gave theirs too, and many lost their life
So salute, my friend, that veteran who passes you
And take the time, to give them their just due
For all the terrors that they have faced, for all that they went thru
The price they paid and pay today, they paid that price for you
Brothers
by George D. Cael, PM of Carrollton Lodge 1400
It began at Concord Bridge, and then at Lexington
This tradition of American men, doing what must be done
From there it spread to Chalmette, and defense of Washington
The men who followed Jackson, were all American sons
Then it was up the heights of San Juan Hill, with Teddy at the lead
Where many an American mother’s son would fight and die and bleed
From there, to Verdun, Chateau Terre and into the Argonne
Through mustard gas and exploding shell the soldiers struggled on
Then peace at last or so we thought, till the bombs were dropped on Pearl
Then came the hell that we hadn’t sought, and engulfed the whole wide world
D-Day came and went, the battle it raged on, from North Africa to Italy
Let’s not forget Bastogne, soldiers fell on every front, some buried where they lay
Then finally at last it came, the long sought V-E day, the war in Europe done
But now we faced a final test, we had to stop the Rising Sun
On island after island, hungry, scared, stricken by disease
Soldiers, sailors and marines, fought the secure the tropic seas
V-J day the world proclaimed, at last the world is free, everyone was pleased
Then the North Koreans attacked the south, with the help of the Chinese
Americans came rushing in, as they had always done
As if no war could be fought without American sons
From Inchon to Chosin, through ground not worth the price
They lost men to shell and disease, and even some to ice
This time no peace would ever come, this action was to police
This was a place that like those to come, would never know real peace
Not satisfied, thought those at home, without a war to fight
Then they led brave America, into her darkest night
In an unknown place called Viet Nam they chose to make their stand
Before it was thru it would last twenty years and cost 70,000 men
And again no peace was there to be had, in fact this one ended bad
We tucked our tails and ran they say, the truth, it makes us sad
Sometimes you just can’t win, in spite of all you do
Perhaps I should have said, because of what they do to you.
We fought a Desert Storm they say, with ribbons on the tree
Our hearts and souls displayed, for all the world to see
Then once again, this time at home, the majestic towers fell
Instead of striking hard and fast, we were sent again to hell
Fighting now where others have been, and lost after a long while
Why would we chose to do this thing, asks mother, wife and child
To enter in where others have been, and lost without a prayer
Do we really think that we can do, what they could not do there
To complain is not my reason here, I’m sure you’ll see that clear
I come today, in my small way, to say what I hold dear
Brothers, that’s what you are to me, for all the things we shared
For all the memories we suffer from, and all the things we’ve dared
From Concord’s Bridge, throughout the years, our line, it stretches on
And will continue for years to come, until the madness is gone
I know that you, just as I, hope never to send my son
Yet I pray that on that day, he’ll do as we have done
My Brothers, let me say to you, how much I love you all
Let us together remember now, the Brothers that we saw fall
And ask the Lord on bended knee, if He would please just let them in
And forgive them all of any fall, for the brave men they have been
Who was that Man?
by George D. Cael, PM of Carrollton Lodge 1400
Mamma, who was that man with whom you stopped to chat?
I mean the one with the symbol on his hat.
Was he a policeman or perhaps a fireman or just someone you knew
What was that symbol on his hat that meant so much to you?
No, the mother stopped and answered, smiling at her son
I stopped to thank that special man for all that he has done
Perhaps he is a fireman or a member of the police, I really do not know
I just stopped to thank him for what he did for my niece not long ago
Remember when your cousin Jenny was so sick
That man and others like him helped to find a fix
That symbol on his hat you see, identifies the man
As someone to whom we all can go when we need a helping hand
He and all his Brothers can be found here in our town
They are always working wherever a need is found
Sometimes they are raising money for this cause or for that
You can always tell just who they are by the symbol on their hat
But it is not just the symbol that tells you who they are
As they work to help a crippled child to leap across the bar
Or to read to listening children gathered at their feet
Or help a new young student, his college fees to meet
They go into the schools each year to find a way to help a child
Reading to the classes, being a role model and a bringing a smile
Into the lives of many kids, who do not have a Dad
Trying to help others forget, times that have been bad
The symbol on the hat, you see, is just an outward sign
What really identifies them, my son, is their state of mind
It is the look in their eyes and the smile upon their face
As they work in our town to make it a better place
That is why I stop to chat when I see them on the street
To thank them for the way they care, to give them back a treat
Just to know that someone cares about the work they do
I hope that when you are a man, you will wear that symbol too.
|
