The Enlisted Man

I fought in every battle
I forged our history
With my wounds, I signed in blood
Our freedom guarantee

I stood with General Washington
Faced the winter and starvation
My spirit and undying will
Claimed for us, a nation

I marched proudly into Gettysburg
A battle like no other
Charging into blazing rifles
Felled by my brother

With the birth of aviation
I was among the first to fly
Overcoming great adversity
I helped command the sky

I fought the wars in Europe
And Korea, Vietnam
I died at the hands of terrorists
And pushed back Saddam

I follow without question
The orders of command
Though often their necessity
I do not understand

I wear the Medal of Honor
For action without thought
Often paying with my life
The lives of friends I bought

I’m the one who stood the watches
The one who dug latrines
I took care of my buddy
As a matter of routine

I’m the backbone of our service
I did more with less
I kept the mission going
With innovation and finesse

I stand a quiet vigil
Making very few demands
Officers prize my respect
I am the enlisted man

Copyright © 2000 by Jake Olden Shy

Mother’s Day

Remembering the day
He broke your gold vase
You’d warned him, “be careful”
To give it some space

And yet he ignored you
Continued to play
The vase now in pieces
What price will he pay?

But her anger reserved
For the one that she loves
Condemning with kindness
Forgivness the dove

A mother’s eyes
Are a shield of compassion
Her softer spirit
As strong as a bastion

With kinder words
And tender touch
She’s allaying the pain
Her love is the crutch

Now, his heart is protected
In two loving hands
With a hug and a kiss
She’ll erase life’s demands

As he picks up the pieces
Of his mom’s broken treasure
She’s smiling warmly
They glue it together

Copyright © 2000 by Jake Olden Shy

Father’s Day

You are strength when I am weakness
A guide when I am lost
My vision through the bleakness
O’er troubled waters crossed

Separated by great distance
You were always there
Your love was my subsistence
An answer to my prayer

Your footsteps have I followed
On a path yet all my own
Hard lessons have I swallowed
Your support was set in stone

I cannot begin to thank you
I am all I ever want to be
Nothing more need I live up to
If my dad is proud of me

Copyright © 2000 by Jake Olden Shy

Words

Words enlighten
Words enrage
Stops the presses
Turns the page

Words hate
Words destroy
Killing a spirit
Malicious employ

Words love
Words caress
Captures a smile
Held in distress

Words heal
Words save
Releases a conscience
Freeing a slave

Within the gray line
Between black and white
The words you choose
To build or smite
Sets the stage
To flee or fight
To find forgiveness
Or flex your might
A heart that’s broken
Instead takes flight

Copyright © 2000 by Jake Olden Shy

Home Again

Home for the holidays
Quiet mountain felicity
And snow on Christmas Eve

A family gathers
Three generations
And the rest
One absent and one taken
A bittersweet element
Stirs the sacred mixture
Leaving a sour taste
To fresh fruit pies
And hot chocolate

Shared smiles and laughter
Children make the memory
An unforgettable pleasantry

Copyright © 2000 by Jake Olden Shy

Deceit

Weeds curl and stretch
Creeping slowly over ground
Roots spread in shallow spaces
Vines twist and turn around

A weed at first unnoticed
Proliferates with ease
As quietly it smothers
Spreading like disease

Wearing a beguiling smile
The sinister plot begun
Before the unsuspecting eye
The field is overrun

The weed attains majority
Dispassionately consumes
Slowly strangled sunlight
Love no longer blooms

Looking out across the field
As death the weeds impose
There stands alone in the midst
A single defiant rose

Copyright © 1999 by Jake Olden Shy

Love of Song

My spirit finds itself renewed
In the kinship of a song
Answers to my questions posed
Hidden for so long
Flood into my consciousness
And help to make me strong

An interesting turn-of-phrase
Beyond normal convention
Bends the mind toward new thinking
The soul begins ascension
Insight the final destination
And the poet’s sole intention

So much can we learn today
Peace is soon at hand
If we only stop to listen
To the music of the band
Their words can bring enlightenment
And our problems they’ll remand

Heartaches will soon dissipate
Healing can begin
A forgiveness freely given
Will release you from your sin
If within a melody
You find yourself akin

Do you see this in your life?
Can you feel my passion?
These thoughts and their appeal
Will not fall out of fashion
From this world you’ll find escape
And within your heart, compassion

So, come with me this very day
It’s time to move along
Let the rhythm fill your soul
You’ll find where you belong
Within these words my dedication
For the true love of a song

Copyright © 1999 by Jake Olden Shy

The One

Up till now I’ve made excuses
To stop love from progressing
But experience and past abuses
I had been suppressing

Afraid to build relationships
Not wanting to be hurt
Fear before my heart eclipse
Romance I would subvert

I would not let them close to me
A reason for dismissal
Would come to me, conveniently
Rejection in epistle

I now can see my motivation
The truth it has revealed
I hope that with this affirmation
My heart will soon be healed

You may be one to succeed
To remove the knife
And stop this bleed
And bring me back to life

Copyright © 1999 by Jake Olden Shy

Good-bye

Unsuccessful my first attempt
At parting just as friends
Why should you remain exempt?
It’s time to make amends

Past loves had I left behind
Relationships I severed
Always was I less than kind
No more had I endeavored

In many ways, my problem now
The result of this arrangement
Peace-of-mind to soon endow
In light of our estrangement

No longer will you use my shoulder
You’re out there on your own
You’re with me as the kids grow older
I’ll forget you when they’re grown

If I never see your face again
I will not feel a loss
I have a new life to begin
What becomes of you is joss

Copyright © 1999 by Jake Olden Shy

Kids

Torrid fighting in the hallway
Stomping feet, a slamming door
Soon their tempers will allay
Soon they’re friends once more

This is certainly nothing new
We’ve all been there before
As a child my tantrums threw
Was frustration, nothing more

Today’s parents don’t understand
The feelings of their kids
Disputes oft settled with a hand
Families are on the skids

Fighting helps attain maturity
Parents provide direction
A healthy child is a surety
If you teach them with affection

Don’t be ruled by your emotions
First seek to console
You will reap your child’s devotions
If you practice self-control

Copyright © 1999 by Jake Olden Shy