Three Poems by a Korean War Veteran
Milton P. Ehrlich Ph.D. is an 89- year-old psychologist and a veteran of the Korean War.
The Castle
I swim across the moat
and see tattered words
along the Castle’s wall:
Remember the Alamo,
It’s a long way to Tipperary,
Uncle Sam needs you,
Loose lips sink ships,
A day of infamy.
I knock on the door,
but can’t get in without the password.
Open Sesame doesn’t work.
I take out my trumpet and blow,
What a wonderful world—and the door opens.
Between the Sand and the Stars
There are no easy ways
to not get blown away:
Take off your old pajamas
and take a Beretta shotgun
out from under your bed.
Climb up the tallest tree
and grab a bolt of lightning
in the next thunderstorm.
Use it to knock on the door
between heaven and earth.
Ask for a safe place to hide
before the stars disappear
in the heat of the sun’s rays.
If life on earth is ending,
I don’t want to be there
if and when it happens.
All I See Is You
On autumn days
I see your face
in the fine patina
of every falling leaf
on our century-old
oak tree.
In morning sun
of sparkling air
I see your face
in the unfolding
beauty of our planted
bunch of amaryllis bulbs.
In the heat of
summertime
I see your face
in every flower
smiling at me
so happy to be
the star of all
our flowers.
In every winter
snow is bound
to softly fall
with your face
on every flake
that I can see
in the cold palm
of my frozen hand.
I see no other
seasonal changes
fixated as I am
on seeing only you
in perennial beauty
lighting the darkness
with your glow of sun
moon and every star.
