Saturday, February 9, 2013

St. Gregory

"When we attend to the needs of those in want, we give them what is theirs, not ours.  More than performing works of mercy, we are paying a debt of justice."

(Regula Pastoralis, 3, 21: PL 77, 87)

Where I Am

(Hunter's poem for English class:)

Where I am is in the jungle.
Everything I wish there was calm.
I am in the dirt, with my blood on my hands.
Holding my rifle in one arm and my other hand
holding the gauze, stopping the blood on my
shoulder.
My heart is thumping.
While the planes keep on bombing.
I hear men shouting.
But my ears are still ringing.
Where I am is a nightmare.
With smoke rising, and dust blowing.
While my heart starts pounding,
My skin boils from the heat.
The mud soaks through my boots, to my
feet.
I close my eyes, and wish this were a dream.
When I open I'm still here.
Where I am is in Vietnam.
 
 
 
(Pap Cluver fought in Vietnam, and Hunter, while fascinated by the gear, is horrified by the reality.  He has tremendous respect for his pap, and a sensitive heart.)