"Everyone's Dying" by Robert Williams (1969)

This poem was written on April 15th, 1969 when I was 14 and a half years old. It got me called into the school counselor's office because it was not the first time I had written about death at such a young age. The first time I was called out for my choice of subject matter was in 1965, when I was 11 years old in 5th grade. I picked it at random from a pile of things which I keep in a drawer while looking for something to post for the 15th. Since it was such a coincidence, I thought I'd run it, if only for that purpose alone.

I had written a poem called "Jenkin's Grave" as a writing assignment in Mrs. Denslow's class in 5th grade, and she actually phoned my parents to discuss whether or not there was a problem at home. There was; as my mother was ill from the time I was about 6, until she passed away when I was 30.

So, death was always lurking about somewhere close by in my thoughts. Naturally, these thoughts found their way into my writing and have probably colored my feelings, and thoughts, for my entire life. And now, as I am getting older; past the age of my mother's death; I find myself looking at these poems more closely, as if to detect some meaning within them; a clue perhaps; of how I came to be who I am. 

Well, for better, or worse, here is that poem from 1969. It still resonates with me, and I still wonder about the eternity that faces us all; though I'd rather hang out for a few more years before I find out that answer!

An old man lay’s dying,

He’s passing away.

What does he think of

On his bed as he lay?

“I think of young ladies

Who were once young and free;

And of old folk, once young folk;

now passing with me.”

An old woman’s crying,

She’s passing away.

What does she think of 

in her final days?

“I think of the young men

I had way back when;

And of old folk, once young folk;

I won’t see again.”

A young boy is playing,

He screams and he shouts;

What does he think of

When at night, lights are out?

“I think of my father,

and how it must be.

To be older and wiser,

with a kid just like me.”

A tycoon is working

And working some more.

What does he think of,

As he does all those chores?

“I think of dead folk

And how glad they must be,

To get away from it all

And be so damn free!

I see people laughing

And larking about.

They’re right to be happy,

For time soon runs out!”

April 15^th, 1969  Cunningham Junior High School 9^th Grade

"Beneath Hill 60" with Brandon Cowell and Anthony Hayes (2010)

A gripping, true story highlights this World War One adventure tale set beneath the battlefields of the Western front. The Allies, as well as the Axis powers,  had fought themselves to a stalemate. With over 1 million lives lost by 1916; and no end to the slaughter in sight; it was clearly time to think outside of the box in order to break the deadlock. That’s when they thought of the tunnel.

The Allied Commanders, minus the United States, who would not join them in the war for another year and a half, decided to try and listen in by use of underground tunnels which went far behind enemy lines. This story concerns the tunnel beneath Hill 60 in Belgium. For this mission they enlisted a battalion of experienced, and not so experienced, former mining personnel, who set forth against all odds, to penetrate deep beneath Hill 60.

The movie takes some turns towards being a “docu-drama” when it explores the life of the battalion commander before the ar. That part of the story is wonderfully costumed, with all of the period furnishings; as well as the clothes; expertly duplicated to great effect. But I could’ve lived without it, and at times I wanted to be back in the tunnel with the guys. In real life it’s like that. You don’t necessarily care about what was back home, either for you, or the other guy. That’s a whole different world, one which you can’t afford to think about in order to concentrate on the problem at hand.

Great acting, and realistic background, makes this a good movie for anyone looking to examine more closely what everyday life was for the average soldier in the First World War. I’m one of those. Having never met my Grandfather; who fought in the war; I have always been interested in what he went through. It started when I first read “All Quiet on the Western Front” in Junior High School. That was one of the first pieces of the puzzle for me. This movie helps to fill in another piece of what the war was like for him, and how it changed who he was forever.