All the Young Men
A poem by Charlie d'Estries
I’m humbled and touched by the young men
Who went before me to fight;
Fight a battle deemed worthy
By another man who has lived his life,
Sleeping restlessly in a clean bed
With a full stomach
And a warm woman beside him.
I cry for these men, these boys, I never knew;
Men who stepped into shoes
That were there only because
The calendar and clock said so.
Fate. Coincidence. Destiny. Luck.
Why do I sit here and drink wine
And dream my dream and watch the sky
And fear not for my life
But for my prosperity?
Why is it me who has the right
To be born who I am, when I am?
Was I one of those men
In another time, another life?
I am so spoiled, so far from the
Bowel-loosening ravages of battle.
I am not worthy of the dignified
Manner in which these fine men died.
Woeful am I for wasting
All the gifts they died for.
For who are you who reads this today?
Are you allowing the tears, anguish, fear,
Pain, broken hearts, years of uncertainty,
Hope banished, injury, indignity,
Depression, sadness, by those who loved them
Be forgotten; all in vain?
Rise up and take today and whatever
Tomorrows you have and fill your
Time with love not hate, hope not discouragement,
Ambition not laziness, integrity not deceptiveness.
Joy of life not pity for oneself;
Do not waste this day!
Hear me America.
The preceding million plus American deaths
Have not been for naught.
They have not gone to waste.
They are our roadmap, direction and spirit.
Let us embrace each man and woman
Who have fallen for us, willingly or not.
For they are the true American heroes.
It is not the swing of a bat that
Should be worshiped,
Nor the spiral on a pass caught to win a big game;
It is not courage that gives him the strength
To score the winning points
Nor is it bravery that closed the big order.
It is not valor that won the election.
For the corporate, political and athletic
Monoliths of today are but the products
Of the true heroes.
Heroes are not born, but they often die.
Worship not those who celebrate
Their success with arrogance and wealth.
Give no mind to America’s celebrities who
Pretend to be our nation’s role models.
No, America.
Instead, kneel down and say Thank You indeed,
Show gratitude, at least appreciate,
At the very least say a prayer
For those who were once young and vibrant
And full of dreams with loved ones
And children and mothers and fathers
And sisters and brothers and friends
And wives and husbands
And Best Friends we will never know
Who died beside them as brothers.
As we sit and fret about our lives
And how things should be better,
Look inward,
Look deep inside,
And ask yourself how much you have given today.
So, don’t blame the world,
For the world has served up enough sacrifice
For you.
Don’t look for outside reasons
Why things aren't better,
Look instead at your own decisions
At your own way of thinking
At your attitude and work ethic.
Don’t ask why the world doesn't care
About you.
Just remember that generations of men and women did care
Enough to die.
Don’t waste this day!
What did they die for, all those wonderful young people?
Was it for bravado? No.
Was it for fortune? No.
Was it for glory? No.
Was it for you?
Yes.
And if you don’t believe it, then go back in time
And allow America’s enemies to camp in your back yard
And then see if your life would be different.
Stop complaining.
Take action.
Live!
For them.
Who did they die for?
For you
To try new things and to never be afraid to love.
To forgive those you don’t speak to anymore.
To fail once, twice, again and again and then succeed.
To celebrate when a loved one triumphs,
To cry for those who need tears.
To worship your God, or not.
Do not live life timidly,
They died so you and I could enjoy life,
Enjoy each other
Enjoy our Freedom.
Live a full life for them!
We don’t get it do we?
We still hate, fight,
Are jealous, create enemies,
Cheat as if no one notices,
Steal, kill, maim, and beat,
Embarrass, harass, and destroy,
Hurt, belittle, and discriminate,
Judge, humiliate, ignore, and abuse,
As if they never went to war
As if they never fought the battles
As if they never cried for mercy
As if all was in vain.
But wait – there are good people too.
Are you one of them?
Tell all of America to honor our dead
Our men, our heroes, our sons and daughters
Who have so gallantly and valiantly
Given us the ability to choose
To do good or bad.
Hold all who take the time to
Tip their hat,
Spend a moment of silence,
Say a prayer of Thanks,
Give a salute,
And appreciate what they so dearly gave
For us.
From our Native Americans who fought for their lands,
And today hold their heads high,
To the warriors in our war of independence,
From the struggles in our Civil War,
The Spanish American War,
The trenches in France,
The march of death in Bataan,
The pain of Guadalcanal,
The beaches of Normandy,
The assaults in Korea,
The innocence lost in Vietnam,
To the sands of Desert Storm,
And the twisted steel of Nine-Eleven,
To the caves of Afghanistan
And the red dust of Iraq;
To the battlefields of what comes
And all the lonely places
We will never hear of
Or won’t remember
Where men go to fight the fight
And die.
Let us embrace each person who gave their life
For us.
God Bless this great nation
And these men we hold so dear,
Under God or whatever you believe.
We pledge never to forget, always to remember,
And do the utmost to use the gifts they have
Fought so hard for and have left behind.
Whatever memorial is built for you,
We promise to keep clear your engraved names
And to those whose grave is unmarked,
We know who you are in our hearts.
We mourn you and celebrate your memory forever
And everlastingly say Thank You for the greatest sacrifice,
Your life.
We will always remember.
We will never forget.
God Bless this fine place called America
Written in Malibu, California, June, 2004, in my sister's (Gaby d'Estries) backyard
A poem by Charlie d'Estries
I’m humbled and touched by the young men
Who went before me to fight;
Fight a battle deemed worthy
By another man who has lived his life,
Sleeping restlessly in a clean bed
With a full stomach
And a warm woman beside him.
I cry for these men, these boys, I never knew;
Men who stepped into shoes
That were there only because
The calendar and clock said so.
Fate. Coincidence. Destiny. Luck.
Why do I sit here and drink wine
And dream my dream and watch the sky
And fear not for my life
But for my prosperity?
Why is it me who has the right
To be born who I am, when I am?
Was I one of those men
In another time, another life?
I am so spoiled, so far from the
Bowel-loosening ravages of battle.
I am not worthy of the dignified
Manner in which these fine men died.
Woeful am I for wasting
All the gifts they died for.
For who are you who reads this today?
Are you allowing the tears, anguish, fear,
Pain, broken hearts, years of uncertainty,
Hope banished, injury, indignity,
Depression, sadness, by those who loved them
Be forgotten; all in vain?
Rise up and take today and whatever
Tomorrows you have and fill your
Time with love not hate, hope not discouragement,
Ambition not laziness, integrity not deceptiveness.
Joy of life not pity for oneself;
Do not waste this day!
Hear me America.
The preceding million plus American deaths
Have not been for naught.
They have not gone to waste.
They are our roadmap, direction and spirit.
Let us embrace each man and woman
Who have fallen for us, willingly or not.
For they are the true American heroes.
It is not the swing of a bat that
Should be worshiped,
Nor the spiral on a pass caught to win a big game;
It is not courage that gives him the strength
To score the winning points
Nor is it bravery that closed the big order.
It is not valor that won the election.
For the corporate, political and athletic
Monoliths of today are but the products
Of the true heroes.
Heroes are not born, but they often die.
Worship not those who celebrate
Their success with arrogance and wealth.
Give no mind to America’s celebrities who
Pretend to be our nation’s role models.
No, America.
Instead, kneel down and say Thank You indeed,
Show gratitude, at least appreciate,
At the very least say a prayer
For those who were once young and vibrant
And full of dreams with loved ones
And children and mothers and fathers
And sisters and brothers and friends
And wives and husbands
And Best Friends we will never know
Who died beside them as brothers.
As we sit and fret about our lives
And how things should be better,
Look inward,
Look deep inside,
And ask yourself how much you have given today.
So, don’t blame the world,
For the world has served up enough sacrifice
For you.
Don’t look for outside reasons
Why things aren't better,
Look instead at your own decisions
At your own way of thinking
At your attitude and work ethic.
Don’t ask why the world doesn't care
About you.
Just remember that generations of men and women did care
Enough to die.
Don’t waste this day!
What did they die for, all those wonderful young people?
Was it for bravado? No.
Was it for fortune? No.
Was it for glory? No.
Was it for you?
Yes.
And if you don’t believe it, then go back in time
And allow America’s enemies to camp in your back yard
And then see if your life would be different.
Stop complaining.
Take action.
Live!
For them.
Who did they die for?
For you
To try new things and to never be afraid to love.
To forgive those you don’t speak to anymore.
To fail once, twice, again and again and then succeed.
To celebrate when a loved one triumphs,
To cry for those who need tears.
To worship your God, or not.
Do not live life timidly,
They died so you and I could enjoy life,
Enjoy each other
Enjoy our Freedom.
Live a full life for them!
We don’t get it do we?
We still hate, fight,
Are jealous, create enemies,
Cheat as if no one notices,
Steal, kill, maim, and beat,
Embarrass, harass, and destroy,
Hurt, belittle, and discriminate,
Judge, humiliate, ignore, and abuse,
As if they never went to war
As if they never fought the battles
As if they never cried for mercy
As if all was in vain.
But wait – there are good people too.
Are you one of them?
Tell all of America to honor our dead
Our men, our heroes, our sons and daughters
Who have so gallantly and valiantly
Given us the ability to choose
To do good or bad.
Hold all who take the time to
Tip their hat,
Spend a moment of silence,
Say a prayer of Thanks,
Give a salute,
And appreciate what they so dearly gave
For us.
From our Native Americans who fought for their lands,
And today hold their heads high,
To the warriors in our war of independence,
From the struggles in our Civil War,
The Spanish American War,
The trenches in France,
The march of death in Bataan,
The pain of Guadalcanal,
The beaches of Normandy,
The assaults in Korea,
The innocence lost in Vietnam,
To the sands of Desert Storm,
And the twisted steel of Nine-Eleven,
To the caves of Afghanistan
And the red dust of Iraq;
To the battlefields of what comes
And all the lonely places
We will never hear of
Or won’t remember
Where men go to fight the fight
And die.
Let us embrace each person who gave their life
For us.
God Bless this great nation
And these men we hold so dear,
Under God or whatever you believe.
We pledge never to forget, always to remember,
And do the utmost to use the gifts they have
Fought so hard for and have left behind.
Whatever memorial is built for you,
We promise to keep clear your engraved names
And to those whose grave is unmarked,
We know who you are in our hearts.
We mourn you and celebrate your memory forever
And everlastingly say Thank You for the greatest sacrifice,
Your life.
We will always remember.
We will never forget.
God Bless this fine place called America
Written in Malibu, California, June, 2004, in my sister's (Gaby d'Estries) backyard