WWII & Related Poetry :: USS Arizona BB39 and Pearl Harbor Memorial Page

When the poetry was on our original website, each poem had its own page and a wonderful background picture to go with it. These different backgrounds images on websites have since gone "out of style" but were missed by many people. So, in bringing back the poetry, I have included the original background that appeared with each poem back in 1999. Enjoy!

All poetry on this page is the property of the author, and may not be reprinted or used for any purpose without the written consent of the author.

God Bless the USA - Lee Greenwood

In Waters Deep

In ocean wastes no poppies blow,
No crosses stand in ordered row,
There young hearts sleep...beneath the wave...
The spirited, the good, the brave,
But stars a constant vigil keep,
For them who lie beneath the deep.
'Tis true you cannot kneel in prayer
On certain spot and think, "He's there."
But you can to the ocean go...
See whitecaps marching row on row;
Know one for him will always ride...
In and out...with every tide.

And when your span of life is passed,
He'll meet you at the "Captain's Mast."
And they who mourn on distant shore
For sailors who'll come home no more,
Can dry their tears and pray for these
Who rest beneath the heaving seas...
For stars that shine and winds that blow
And white caps marching row on row.
And they can never lonely be
For when they lived...they chose the sea.

By Eileen Mahoney, Age 90
Fitchburg, MA

"TALLYHO"

The last tallyho has been sounded,
The sea washes thick with the tears;
Remember the ranks of the fallen,
As memory fades with the years.

Author Unknown

"Tally Ho" is the cry of fox hunters in England. When the dogs spotted a fox the hunters gave chase calling out "Tally Ho." During WWII American fighter pilots, especially aircraft carrier pilots spotting the enemy aircraft, gave chase calling out "Tally Ho." Many American airmen lost their lives during the war. This poem was written after the last air battle between American and Japanese pilots. The poem can be found in the book "The New USS Yorktown." Navy and Marine carrier pilots were a different breed of cats.