EXPLORING POEMS FOR THE MILITARY & VETS ON NATIONAL HAIKU POETRY DAY
Poems for the military… It’s probably not something that most of you Vets have ever given mind to or cared about. Poetry? That was the class for the lazy kids in school! But now that you’ve ETS’d, you probably have a little extra time on your hands to enjoy the finer things in life – like poetry! Believe it or not, poems aren’t all about frilly language and hard-to-understand metaphors. There are tons of military poems out there that even the gruffest among you Vets can appreciate – or even… ENJOY. To celebrate Haiku Poetry Day 2022, which is on April 17th, we’re going to explore some awesome poems for the military.
How To Read Poems for the Military
If you’re not familiar with the art of poetry, you might find yourself pleasantly surprised when you learn more about it. There are poems of all kinds out there, not just the boring ones you were taught in high school (and let’s be honest; even poetry lovers have a hard time with some of those). Poems can be funny, epic, shocking, and fun. The same poem can have a different meaning for every single person who reads it. Even a military poem that seems to have an obvious theme can mean something completely different to different people – say, someone who just ETS'd vs. someone who has been a Veteran for 15+ years. Your life experiences play heavily into your interpretations of poems for the military. That means that there is NO WRONG WAY to read a military poem. If you’re feeling skeptical right now about military poems, just hold your horses for a few more lines of text. There are tons of poems for the military with every different theme imaginable, so you’re sure to find something that speaks to you. Below, you’ll find military thank you poems, war poems, somber offerings, and even a military spouse poem or two. It may be National Haiku Day, but we’re going to explore even more than just the short, fun haiku poem, categorized by three lines with a syllable pattern of 5-7-5. We’ve got all types of poems for the military here. So if you don’t like one type, just jump to the next!
Poems for the Military About War
1. “Hockey War” by David Pekrul
Imagine life without a war, And just a hockey game to score, When countries start to point the blame, They take it out in a hockey game. If someone threatens our coastline, We face-off on the centre-line, A slap-shot and a body-check, By the hockey team from old Quebec. We'd never need a military, A hockey team is much more scary, Instead of running all amuck, The one who wins, controls the puck. The winner of this hockey war, Would best be known as "Hockey Corps", We'd celebrate a "Hockey Hour", With Canada, the World Power. (Yes, we know that poem for the military is Canadian, but we thought it was way too funny not to include!)
2. “Useless Trivia You Need to Know” by Robert L. Hinshaw
Here's a bit of trivia from World War Two I'll bet you didn't know, Concerning the war-time Prime Minister of Japan, Hideki Tojo of Tokyo. After the war hapless Hideki was jailed in Tokyo's Sugamo Prison, Where he was given a new set of dentures 'cause he was losing his'n. A waggish American dentist, determined to make a lasting 'impression', Etched on Tojo's choppers in Morse Code this immortal expression: 'REMEMBER PEARL HARBOR" - 'Twas America's stirring battle cry! He eternally gnashes his teeth in perdition after he was hanged to die!
3. What Did You Do In The War, Daddy” by Robert L. Hinshaw
"What did you do in the big war, Daddy?" (Is often asked by a soldier's laddie.) "I'm proud you asked me that son; I packed a golf bag and gun, Since I was the Gen'ral's guard and caddy!"
4. “Woodchucks” by Maxine Kumin
Gassing the woodchucks didn't turn out right. The knockout bomb from the Feed and Grain Exchange was featured as merciful, quick at the bone and the case we had against them was airtight, both exits shoehorned shut with puddingstone, but they had a sub-sub-basement out of range. Next morning they turned up again, no worse for the cyanide than we for our cigarettes and state-store Scotch, all of us up to scratch. They brought down the marigolds as a matter of course and then took over the vegetable patch nipping the broccoli shoots, beheading the carrots. The food from our mouths, I said, righteously thrilling to the feel of the .22, the bullets' neat noses. I, a lapsed pacifist fallen from grace puffed with Darwinian pieties for killing, now drew a bead on the little woodchuck's face. He died down in the everbearing roses. Ten minutes later I dropped the mother. She flipflopped in the air and fell, her needle teeth still hooked in a leaf of early Swiss chard. Another baby next. O one-two-three the murderer inside me rose up hard, the hawkeye killer came on stage forthwith. There's one chuck left. Old wily fellow, he keeps me cocked and ready day after day after day. All night I hunt his humped-up form. I dream I sight along the barrel in my sleep. If only they'd all consented to die unseen gassed underground the quiet Nazi way. Interested in poems from a specific war? Check out the video below with readings of several incredible poems about WWI from the perspective of Canadian and English writers and military members.
Poems About Military Sacrifice
1. “Blood red” by May Fenn
Poppies great beauty Brave men dying for duty Each nourish the earth.
2. “How Do You Measure a Soldier’s Sacrifice” by Kelly Roper
How do you measure a soldier's sacrifice? Is it by the number of friends and family left behind? Is it by the months or years given in service? How do you measure a soldier's courage? Is it by the number of objectives completed, Or by the number of bullets dodged or missions served? How do you measure a soldier's honor? Is it by the duty he or she volunteers for, Or by the number of medals earned? The simple truth is that these things are immeasurable, As is this country's debt to all who serve, And pay the price for freedom in this land.
3. Untitled by Linda Hayden
Ordinary men Do extraordinary things So we can endure
Military Poems for Funerals
1. “Immortality” by Clare Harner
Do not stand By my grave, and weep. I am not there, I do not sleep— I am the thousand winds that blow I am the diamond glints in snow I am the sunlight on ripened grain, I am the gentle, autumn rain. As you awake with morning’s hush, I am the swift, up-flinging rush Of quiet birds in circling flight, I am the day transcending night. Do not stand By my grave, and cry— I am not there, I did not die.
2. “Why” by unknown
Far above the storm clouds gathering Far above that midnight sky Looking out just past the rainbow Where eagles dare not fly Out among the ashes Of heroes long since past I will take my place among them When that final die is cast Let not your heart be troubled That's what I've always heard But I stood for what I believed in With these my final words For in this life but few things matter In this short time that we have here Leaving nothing behind but our honor The thing we hold most dear
Military Poems for Veterans
1. “Veterans Day” by Arty Rico Jones
Remembrance of those Served in the military Special day for them
2. “After the War” by John Breska
There’s a tear in the fabric of his being ... Where the memories lie waiting to remind him ... Of the horror and the carnage That is cataloged as war Which civilians never see For it’d shatter their reality And leave them in a state of what To call it I don’t know But it’s tipped the balance Of the G I Joe Who comes to calmer waters Where life’s normal once again But he’s having trouble fitting in For he’s shaken bad internally; it’s a price they paid for defending But the dreams are never ending.
Military Spouse Appreciation Poems
1. “The Silent Ranks” (a.k.a. “The Military Wife” poem) by unknown
I wear no uniforms, no blues or army greens But I am in the Army in the ranks rarely seen I have no rank upon my shoulders – salutes I do not give But the military world is the place where I live I’m not in the chain of command, orders I do not get But my husband is the one who does, this I can not forget I’m not the one who fires the weapon, who puts my life on the line But my job is just as tough. I’m the one that’s left behind My husband is a patriot, a brave and prideful man And the call to serve his country not all can understand Behind the lines I see the things needed to keep this country free My husband makes the sacrifice, but so do our kids and me I love the man I married, Soldiering is his life But I stand among the silent ranks known as the Army Wife
2. “Deployment Prayer” by Leanne Thomas
Dear Lord:
Give me the strength to say goodbye. Hold back the tear in my eye. Cure my insomnia so that I may sleep alone. Give me a reason to awake when I’ve none.
Dear Lord:
Please help me pace myself. Allow me to turn to you for help, And please let me be strong for him, Even if I’ve reached the brim.
Dear Lord:
Please make time go fast. I don’t know how long I can last. This is the hardest time of my life, But this is my job: the soldier’s wife.
Dear Lord:
Let them all stay strong. Give them the will to go on, And Lord, Please bring back all our men. In the name of our country. Amen. More like this:Happy Military Spouse Appreciation Day! A Special Thanks to Milspouses
Other Haiku Poems for the Military
1. “Underway Sailors” by Robert Heemstra
Haze gray underway to all the sailors at sea may the seas sail well
2. “Fresh start” by Robert Heemstra
A thousand voices one thousand and one orders boot camp is over
3. Untitled by Erik Higbie
For America. You would lay down your own lives. Heroes without doubt.
4. “Bootcamp Memories” by Robert Heemstra
nineteen-eighty-three summer boot camp Orlando pushups made wet decks
What Do You Think About Poems for the Military?
Our offerings above only scratch the surface of poems for the military out there. With a quick Google search, you can find hundreds more to enjoy. So, what do you say? Can you get into poetry now that you know there are some that relate to you? Which was your favorite among our poems for the military above? Share your thoughts with us, or any military poems we left out, on our socials at Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram! Until then, happy National Haiku Poetry Day! Similar read:What Is Veterans Day? Honoring All Who Served
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