Here’s to a man who has made my day, week, month…
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There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.
Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.
Yes we’ll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we’ll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.
by Shel Silverstein
The steel mill sky is alive.
The fire breaks white and zigzag
shot on a gun-metal gloaming.
Man is a long time coming.
Man will yet win.
Brother may yet line up with brother:
This old anvil laughs at many broken hammers.
There are men who can’t be bought.
The fireborn are at home in fire.
The stars make no noise,
You can’t hinder the wind from blowing.
Time is a great teacher.
Who can live without hope?
In the darkness with a great bundle of grief
the people march.
In the night, and overhead a shovel of stars for keeps, the people
march:
“Where to? what next?”
— Carl Sandberg
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He was briefly stationed at the post I was stationed at in Germany, Wildflecken, though about 15 years earlier. Don’t know if he’s sporting hollywood rank or what but I was in twice as long as him but yet he is showing 1 more stripe than I had. spec 5 vs spec 4
My compliments to Mr C Socrates.
Ghostie, I wore that Spec 5 rank, right before I went to OCS, became an E-6 for pay as a cadet, then onto the exalted O ranks. I could swear I’ve seen Elvis pics with buck sergeant stripes – probably switched jobs. Don’t you know the infantry, armor and artillery were rolling in rank like pigs in grease?
I was chatting with a friend’s dad, and he indicated that he was in an armor unit, in Germany, about 59 or 60. I asked the obvious question, using my own version of tact: “did you meet Elvis”? Turns out he did!
I’ll do that even one better. My housemate’s dad stole Elvis’ 8th grade girlfriend!
Ulysses 2017 comment “She just blew like a frog sucking on a cherry bomb.”
Sweet Home Southern.
The Archives of Mr V are indeed replete with treasure.