.

~Morgan~

Save

I stumbled upon,

the game of hide and seek,

between the sky and the leaves,

in the fall light.

poetry and image copyright neha 2017

Painting of Doug Munro providing support from his LCP, by Bernard D’Andrea

The United States Coast Guard was founded on a tradition of taking small boats into dangerous conditions to save lives. This skill made Coast Guard coxswains an indispensable part of the Pacific Theater  and Smitty would whole-heartedly agree.  Coast Guardsmen proved their worth time and time again as they expertly handled small landing craft in and out of almost any situation. No man better exemplifies this prowess than Douglas A. Munro.

Signalman 1st Class, Douglas Munro

Born in Vancouver in 1919, Douglas Munro attended Cle Elum High School in Washington state.  He attended the Central Washington College of Education for a year before enlisting in the Coast Guard in 1939. He spent his first two years on board the Cutter Spencer,  a 327-foot Treasury-class cutter which patrolled out of New York, and later Boston.

While on the Spencer

When my life becomes
hard. I write away in
my notebook of dreams
that lives on my desk.
I take a short cut through
ink to be with it.
My pen
of angst spilling out
particles of love. desire,
fears.
I wonder how the pages
can ingest them all. My
constant purging of
emotions. Trying to
convey with words
truth before time
distorts it and it
becomes an artifact in
the Museum of
UnNatural History.
At times the fog
likes to exert control
over my verse. Longing
tend to be blind to
reality and reason.
It never sees things
as they are. The poet
trying to alter the
past and its asterisk
Poetry becomes a
contraption of denial.
Truth fight its way
through pages
watermark by tears
to sit on my back
like a weighed
pack, pulling
down hard on the
straps. Reminding me
how flimsy
my poetry and life

I’m riding out this storm,
going with the flow
no matter how long
the winds decide to blow.

I’m hanging on,
not getting blown away
on Jesus I’ll keep my grip
till I see the light of day.

I’m riding out this storm,
going to give it my all
if I start to get anxious
on my Savior I will call.

I’m clinging on,
to the Anchor of my hope
I’m counting on Jesus
to give me the grace to cope.

I’m riding out this storm,
I’ve got all the right gear
for, I have my Bible . . .
so what is there to fear!

~~~~~

Psalm 107:29

“He maketh the storm
a calm,
so that the waves thereof
are still.”

King James Version
Public Domain

Copyright 2017
Deborah Ann Belka

Night doesn’t last forever

And with the breaking of each dawn

We are promised strength for the day

Everlasting mercy

And the brightest

Of sunlight