Eyes that will smile again - v3

I see eyes that will smile again,
where joy will be resurgent,
life will emerge in the simplest things,
a sense of calm and peace will bloom…
 
This is my prayer, my friend,
from my spirit, my heart,
that you would again feel joy,
that this weight would be removed…
 
You all have struggled, valiantly,
you have fought evil for too long,
but God has walked with you,
His Spirit will lift you up…
 
Yes, your eyes will smile again,
seeing life in all its fullness, beauty,
simple joys will wash over you, again,
your spirit will be renewed…
 
----------
Edited June 29, 2024
Eyes that will smile again – v3
 
Edited June 2, 2024
Soulful Eyes – v3
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2024/06/soulful-eyes-v3.html
 
All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 202 2022, 2023, and 2024. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for usage. See all 53,000+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.
 
poetry, Ukraine, warrior, leader, patriot, soldier, eyes, sorrow, war, tragedy, terror, genocide, Russia, joy, happiness, peace,
 
#poetry #Ukraine #God #prayer #warrior #patriot #soldier #eyes #war #tragedy #terror #genocide #Russia #joy #happiness #peace

Eyes that will smile again – v2

I see eyes that will smile again,
Where joy that will be resurgent,
Life in the simple things,
A sense of calm, at peace…
 
This is my prayer, my friend,
From my spirit, my heart,
That you would again feel joy,
That this weight would be removed…
 
You all have struggled, valiantly,
You have fought evil for too long,
But God has walked with you,
His Spirit will lift you up…
 
Yes, your eyes will smile again,
Seeing life in all its fullness, beauty,
Simple joys will wash over you, again,
Your spirit will be renewed…
 
----------
Edited June 29, 2024
Eyes that will smile again – v2
 
Edited June 2, 2024
Soulful Eyes – v3
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2024/06/soulful-eyes-v3.html
 
All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 202 2022, 2023, and 2024. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for usage. See all 53,000+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.
 
poetry, Ukraine, warrior, leader, patriot, soldier, eyes, sorrow, war, tragedy, terror, genocide, Russia, joy, happiness, peace,
 
#poetry #Ukraine #God #prayer #warrior #patriot #soldier #eyes #war #tragedy #terror #genocide #Russia #joy #happiness #peace

Eyes that will smile again

Eyes that will smile again,
Joy that will be resurgent,
Life in the simple things,
A sense of calm, at peace…
 
This is my prayer, my friend,
From my spirit, my heart,
That you would again feel joy,
This weight would be lifted off…
 
You all have struggled,
Fought evil for too long,
But God has walked with you,
His Spirit will lift you up…
 
Yes, your eyes will smile again,
Life in all its fullness, beauty,
Simple joys will wash over you,
Your spirit will be renewed…
 
----------
June 28, 2024
Eyes that will smile again
 
Edited June 2, 2024
Soulful Eyes – v3
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2024/06/soulful-eyes-v3.html
 
All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 202 2022, 2023, and 2024. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for usage. See all 53,000+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.
 
poetry, Ukraine, warrior, leader, patriot, soldier, eyes, sorrow, war, tragedy, terror, genocide, Russia, joy, happiness, peace,
 
#poetry #Ukraine #God #prayer #warrior #patriot #soldier #eyes #war #tragedy #terror #genocide #Russia #joy #happiness #peace

Soulful Eyes – v3

She is a warrior, a leader, a patriot,
in the world, in the field, authentic,
soulful eyes that have seen too much,
So many years of war, of destruction,
too many broken, shattered lives…
 
Soldiering on, ever forward,
resolve leads her, guides her,
though she carries a heavy weight,
She is safe under God’s wing,
the protection of unceasing prayer…
 
She holds onto hope for a future,
without struggle, without war,
a stirring deep within her,
Hope that her dreams will take flight
that this moment will pass…
 
She is a warrior, a leader, a patriot,
in the world, in the field, authentic,
soulful eyes that have seen too much,
So many years of war, of destruction,
too many broken, shattered lives…
 
----------
Edited June 2, 2024
Soulful Eyes – v3
 
 
All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 202 2022, 2023, and 2024. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for usage. See all 53,000+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.
 
poetry, Ukraine, warrior, leader, patriot, soldier, eyes, sorrow, war, tragedy, terror, genocide, Russia,
 
#poetry #Ukraine #God #prayer #warrior #patriot #soldier #eyes #war #tragedy #terror #genocide #Russia

Soulful Eyes – v2

A warrior, a leader, a patriot,
In the field, in the world, authentic,
Soulful eyes that have seen too much,
So many years of war, of destruction,
Too many broken, shattered lives…
 
Soldiering on, ever forward,
But bending under the heavy weight,
Resolve leading her, guiding her,
Under God’s wing, His shadow,
The protection of unceasing prayer…
 
Holding onto hope for a future,
Without struggle, without war,
A stirring deep within her,
That this moment must pass,
Still hoping her dreams will take flight…
 
A warrior, a leader, a patriot,
In the field, in the world, authentic,
Soulful eyes that have seen too much,
So many years of war, of destruction,
Too many broken, shattered lives…
 
----------
Edited May 31, 2024
Soulful Eyes – v2
 
May 31, 2024
Soulful Eyes – v1
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2024/05/soulful-eyes-v1.html
 
 
All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 202 2022, 2023, and 2024. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for usage. See all 53,000+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.
 
poetry, Ukraine, warrior, leader, patriot, soldier, eyes, sorrow, war, tragedy, terror, genocide, Russia,
 
#poetry #Ukraine #God #prayer #warrior #patriot #soldier #eyes #war #tragedy #terror #genocide #Russia
 
 

Soulful Eyes – v1

A warrior, a leader, a patriot,
Soulful eyes that have seen too much,
So many years of war, of destruction,
Too many shattered lives…
 
Soldiering on, ever forward,
But bending under the heavy weight,
Resolve leading her, guiding her,
Under the protection of unceasing prayer…
 
----------
May 31, 2024
Soulful Eyes – v1
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2024/05/soulful-eyes-v1.html

All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 202 2022, 2023, and 2024. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for usage. See all 53,000+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.
 
poetry, Ukraine, warrior, leader, patriot, soldier, eyes, sorrow, war, tragedy, terror, genocide, Russia,
 
#poetry #Ukraine #God #prayer #warrior #patriot #soldier #eyes #war #tragedy #terror #genocide #Russia

a forgotten war

So long ago, long ago

the long aged metal, crafted,

the green skin of the statue

in the nearby park,

the statute under the snow,

was a man in faraway lands,

living flesh of our nation’s best

frozen in time, that forgotten war,

fading from our memory

He had been sent into harm’s way

fighting in San Juan, in Manila,

forgotten fields of a little war

when his skin was supple

frozen in the park

here so we would remember

their sacrifice, our freedom

the fruit of that war

forgotten long ago

----

edited/new November 12, 2014

A forgotten war

edited November 11, 2014

A Frozen Soldier – v3

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2014/11/a-frozen-soldier-v3.html

edited May 25, 2014

A Frozen Soldier – v2

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2014/05/a-frozen-soldier-v2.html

January 5, 2007 22:30

A Frozen Soldier

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2007/01/frozen-soldier.html

Bronstein Park, Manchester, NH

Spanish American War statue

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 33,520+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

A Cigarette Butt – v2

It was the incongruity

drawing my eyes, to focus,

the foreign color, out of place

no longer in the desert,

Iraq or Afghanistan, in country

sand camouflage on the Humvee

merging with me, on the city street

rimmed with dirty white

snow piles, days after the storm

He was in the Hummer

in my rearview

Guard fatigues, short, just-cut hair

A butt cupped, awkwardly

in his hand, as if

hiding the glowing tip

from sniper fire

outside the Green Zone

in downtown Baghdad.

I wonder if he knows

what it looks like, out of place,

to an observer, in the rearview.

Had he lived that life

when a dim cigarette ember

could have cost him his life?

Would he have to go back

for another tour of duty;

would it even matter anymore?

edited June 25, 2014

A Cigarette Butt – v2

March 7, 2008

A Cigarette Butt

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2008/03/cigarette-butt.html

Canal Street,

Manchester, NH

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 30,710+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

A Cigarette Butt

It was the incongruity
the foreign color, out of place
sand camouflage on the Humvee
merging with me, on the city street
rimmed with dirty white
snow piles, days after the storm
He was in the Hummer
in my rearview
Guard fatigues, short, just-cut hair
A butt cupped, awkwardly
in his hand, as if
hiding the glowing tip
from sniper fire
outside the Green Zone
in downtown Baghdad.
I wonder if he knows
what it looks like
to an observer, in the rearview.
Had he lived that life
when a dim cigarette ember
could have cost him his life?
Would he have to go back?

March 7, 2008
Canal Street, Manchester, NH

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 30,710+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.