Charles the Man

My favorite man in the entire world was Charles the Man.  He was my mom's gentleman (can't say boyfriend when he was in his sixties when they met) for twenty-six years.  He died in 2006.  I have a tattoo on my left forearm to forever keep him with me.  It reads "Charles the Man" and has the Third Marine Division emblem on it.  Charlie was a Marine in World War II.  He fought on Bougainville, Guam and Iwo Jima.

The reason I bring up my favorite man is because I was digging through my desk today and found a poem I wrote for his funeral.  It's got a photo of Charlie on Guam in the background, with the text over the entire shot.  Here's the poem:

One Last Toast

All the fighting's over now

Dump the rifle and bring out the plow.

We're done, we're finished

With saving the world.

It's time for rest and sunsets

And quiet evenings by the fire,

For loved ones' smiling faces,

All grief put away.

Time is finally on our side.

No more hardship, Buddy, our dues are paid.

We saved the world,

You and I and all of us.

So let's swing our glasses

To the sky for one last toast

To our Division, our Company

Our Squad.  And to you, Buddy.

You lived long and smiled through it all,

Like you always did.

It's been a long wait to see your face again

But heaven's patient and

We've kept the beer cold.

Welcome home, Bud.  Welcome home.

We few, we happy few,

Your band of brothers salute you.

Feeling a little nostalgic for my beloved Charles the Man.  And now, back to the editing of my memoir!  Hope to be done with everything by the end of this week.  It's going to be incredible...I hope! 

Take care,  R