Gordon H. Personius

AN OLD SOLDIER’S DREAM

It happened on an early summer day,
‘twas a day the sunshine blest.
I was out working in the yard.
My neighbor was the first to go…
even before it struck the rest.

He had his hammer in his hand,
and began tearing down the fence.
He looked at me the longest time…
Then asked me in for a cup of joe,
It really didn’t make much sense.

We hadn’t spoken in twenty years,
I couldn’t even remember why.
He said, “Got to thinking’ of all
we’ve missed by being foes…
Let’s give friends another try!”

We went in and turned the radio on,
to catch up on the latest news.
We sat there stunned; Congress
had just passed a budget bill…
with no hint of partisan abuse!

After that first surprise, they went right
to weather and then to sport,
The announcer apologized, adding
“No matter how hard we try…
There’s no bad news to report!”

The cops were all standing around
with nothing much to do.
The gangs had turned in all their guns,
And, as for the religious folk…
they were acting Christ-like, too!

We just now heard there’s a pot luck set,
marking an official END OF HATE.
Arabs, Jews, the Blacks and Whites,
all the various shades of sexes, too….
are breaking bread to celebrate!

And know this isn’t just a local thing,
News from near and far about,
tells us armies round the world
are packing and heading home…
Universal Peace has broken out!

To folks with eyes now opened wide
It seemed a miraculous wonder.
Somehow this old world has survived,
despite guns and bombs enough…
to blow us all asunder!

And the law of unintended consequence
has caused some of us to smirk.
All these good things happening,
means many docs and lawyers…
are mostly out of work!

The Old Man with a Scythe was seen,
trailing some bits of stardust,
He said, “I told Adam and I told Eve,
the first two million years on Earth,
would definitely be the hardest!”

No, not one of us had dared to dream,
this was what life had in store.
Pundits had predicted doom and danger
but if this is truly to be our future…
we can only ask for more!