The Sailor's Poems

I never thought of my Dad as a man of many words. To me, his actions loom larger in my memory. I experience Wally as a man of action, always doing something, building something, fixing something, making something. My memories of Dad are of his model ships, planes, and trains; or of his decorative woodwork and crafts at the VFW Post; or of the player piano he converted into a wet bar; or of him on a ladder scraping, caulking, painting; or of his many wonderful, kooky gardens filled with flowers and kitsch. To me, Wally is always very tangible, a man of hands.

But that does him a minor disservice. Wally also loved words: he loved to read, he loved to sing, and apparently -- this is new to me -- he loved to write, too. While going through his documents, in preparation for the inevitable, my wife came across a few letters Dad wrote to loved ones. Among them, three poems he wrote to his wife, Tess, back in 1951, while he was serving in the Navy in Korea.

They reveal a new facet of Wally that I hadn't seen before, and perhaps you haven't seen, either. So I thought I would share them with you, here.

Happy Anniversary, My Dear

Once a year my darling
There comes a certain day
That we can really truly say
is ours in our own way.
The day that we were married
that's the one day that I mean
There's been so many pleasant thoughts
in the years gone inbetween.

I thank you for each little day
every minute of each hour
These years I've spent with you my dear
were like the bloom in every flower
Sweet with fragrance, rich with beauty
a rose meant just for me
A rose above all others
That's what God meant you to be.

Although this day may find us
many miles apart
It can never, never change
the thoughts within my heart.
My memories of you my dear,
are a blessing meant for me
And every day away from you
Is agony to me.

I Think of You
by W.K. Thomas Jr. GMM1 USNR

I wish My Darling, that I could see
Your lovely face in front of me
To brush away all the tears
That I have caused you through the years

To feel again your finger tips
Or once again your tender lips
To hold you in my arms once more
And stroll lover's lane, as we had before

To watch the moon beams shine in your hair
To know that you will always care
To watch the stars within the skies
And see them twinkle in your eyes

To give you always, all my heart
And know My Darling we'll never part
To Pray to God in heaven above
That He may always Bless our love

To kiss you at the break of day
To tuck you in, when night comes our way
To hope that I may always be
Waiting on you constantly

But someday in the future
in a year or maybe two
We'll spend that day together
As God meant for us to do
To look back at the years gone by
to those as yet to come
And see two people living, working,
acting as but one

So when our day arrives my dear
be happy, smiling too
Because you'll know that some where
I'll be smiling just for you
Showering you with roses
saying "Happy Anniversary, My Dear."
And hoping that I've helped to bring
a small amount of cheer

written Mar. 3, 1951 of Korea
by W.K. Thomas Jr. GMM1

The Dreams Within My Heart

As I sit here and dream
of you and of our boy
I can't believe the day's so close
that soon will bring us joy
To be -- to be so thankful that,
I'll Thank Our Lord above
That he may see me home again
with those I do so love.

To be able to look into the past,
and a hill so high
And see two people sitting
watching stars up in the sky
Listening to soft music
as it comes drifting on the air
Sitting there dreaming,
without a worry, without a care

To know my search for you my dear
throughout this great wide land
Had ended there upon that hill
as I asked you for your hand
And heard you murmur sweetly, softly,
darling, I do care
Then you were in my arms, and,
my head laid against your hair.

I knew I'd found someone that I,
could say was mine alone
Adorable and beautiful,
sweet with fragrance of your own
One who I knew was everything
a man would ever need
To go through life with side by side,
without out the slightest

So as I sit here dreaming of the girl who waits for me
I cannot help but wonder what the future's going to be
My wife, my son and I, "The Dreams Within My Heart."
Lets hope and pray that all my future dreams are spent
together not apart.

April 15, 1951 by W.K. Thomas Jr.
Of Korea

These three poems © Copyrighted 1951 by Wallace K. Thomas, Jr. All rights reserved. Used by permission.