A Poem by MCpl Jeff Walsh

[zanshin]

I wonder how many times I've come back to this thread to re-read Monsters in the Dark?

wow
:'(

 

[gordsett]

      A few words, a lot of thought and a great deal  to remember. Should be must reading for all who doubt the heart of the serving men and women of Canada.

 

[pinkbug]

gordsett, that was very well said.   

 

[canadiangirl123]

Very nice poem it's very well written

 

[RHFC_piper]

Regarding the first poem;  Its taken me a while, a long while, but I think I understand this poem.  I understand it the same way I now understand and respect veterans of past wars and conflicts. Its an unspoken understanding.

Its a very good poem.

 

[tasop_999]

The eloquence of this poem is its strength and it exudes the spirit of the fight.  Well said Mcpl Walsh. 

I remember.

We will remember them now and always.  Lest we forget.

 

[mckee19]

unreal poem, not much of a poetry guy but that made me proud to be canadian and proud to be in the forces
R.I.P MCpl Walsh 

 

[gaspasser]

Simple words, strong thoughts and feeling.
"At the going down of the sun..."
Well said Brother.
BYTD.

 

[Mike Baker]

Very very nice. May he Rest In Peace   

 

[Sheila Baker]

Sent chills over me. RIP.

 

[Sigs Pig]

This poem was written by MCpl Walsh earlier this year:

Monsters in the Dark
by MCpl Jeff Walsh

I know that they are out there:
I will not be ignorant anymore:
Pulling the blanket over my head will not keep them
              from coming ashore;
Instead I choose to confront them
              as afraid as I might be;
Because if I don't stop the monsters
              our children can never be free.


Rest in Peace my friend.  2VP

Seems about the right time to bring the "required reading" back.

Also to add this one I received in my inbox:

Unknown Author, please consider the "He" to be both he and she.

Who Is He
He is profane and irreverent, living as he does in a world full of capriciousness, frustration and disillusionment. He is perhaps the best-educated of his kind in history, but will rarely accord respect on the basis of mere degrees or titles.

... He speaks his own dialect, often incomprehensible to the layman. He can be cold, cruel, even brutal and is frequently insensitive. Killing is his profession and he strives very hard to become even more skilled at it.

His model is the grey, muddy, hard-eyed slayer who took the untakeable at Vimy Ridge, endured the unendurable in the Scheldt and held the unholdable at Kapyong.

He is a superlative practical diplomat; his efforts have brought peace to countless countries around the world. He is capable of astonishing acts of kindness, warmth and generosity. He will give you his last sip of water on a parched day and his last food to a hungry child; he will give his very life for the society he loves. Danger and horror are his familiars and his sense of humour is accordingly sardonic. What the unknowing take as callousness is his defence against the unimaginable; he whistles through a career filled with graveyards.

His ethos is one of self-sacrifice and duty. He is sinfully proud of himself, of his unit and of his countryand he is unique in that his commitment to his society is Total. No other trade or profession dreams of demanding such of its members
and none could successfully try.

He loves his family dearly, sees them all too rarely and as often as not loses them to the demands of his profession. Loneliness is the price he accepts for the privilege of serving. He accounts discomfort as routine and the search for personal gain as beneath him; he has neither understanding of nor patience
for those motivated by self-interest, politics or money.

His loyalty can be absolute, but it must be purchased. Paradoxically, the only coin accepted for that payment is also loyalty. He devours life with big bites, knowing that each bite might be his last and his manners suffer thereby. He would rather die regretting the things he did than the ones he dared not try. He earns a good wage by most standards and, given the demands on him, is woefully underpaid.

He can be arrogant, thoughtless and conceited, but will spend himself, sacrifice everything for total strangers in places he cannot even pronounce. He considers political correctness a podium for self-righteous fools, but will die fighting for the rights of anyone he respects or pities.

He is a philosopher and a drudge, an assassin and a philanthropist, a servant and a leader, a disputer and a mediator, a Nobel Laureate peacekeeper and the Queen's Hitman, a brawler and a healer, best friend and worst enemy. He is a rock, a goat, a fool, a sage, a drunk, a provider, a cynic and a romantic dreamer. Above it all, he is a hero for our time.

You, pale stranger, sleep well at night only because he exists for you, the citizen who has never met him, has perhaps never thought of him and may even despise him. He is both your child and your guardian. His devotion to you is unwavering.

He is a Canadian Soldier

ME
:remembrance:

 

[Robert0288]

I'm glad that this thread got bumped so I can read it.  Manditory reading is right, I got shivers from Monsters in the Dark.

 

[Canadian.Trucker]

I too had some shivers from Monsters in the Dark, excellent poem.

Thank you as well to Sigs Pig for the contribution.

A salute to all those in uniform currently serving, and a special thank you to those that have gone on before us.  You are remembered and shall not be forgotten.
RIP MCpl Walsh, well done.