# A Poem by MCpl Jeff Walsh



## quinner12

This poem was written by MCpl Walsh earlier this year:

_Monsters in the Dark
by MCpl Jeff Walsh_

_I know that they are out there:
I will not be ignorant anymore:
Pulling the blanket over my head will not keep them
              from coming ashore;
Instead I choose to confront them
              as afraid as I might be;
Because if I don't stop the monsters
              our children can never be free._


Rest in Peace my friend.  2VP


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## Bruce Monkhouse

Required reading.....


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## redhammer

i am not a poem person.. but i like it.. mainly the ending


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## Thompson_JM

Bruce said it best.... Required Reading....

Ive Taken it and put it up on the wall of my Cubicle desk at work, as well as the door to my office.....

This is why we fight..


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## 17thRecceSgt

+1.


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## Hot Lips

Thank you for sharing...

HL


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## geo

Huah!


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## Thugmuncher

Simple, effective, yet clearly not understood by so many today. 

Required reading indeed. I will post in my office for all to see.

Proud to be


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## GaelicSoldier

+1


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## HItorMiss

I knew Jeff for years, never knew he had the soul of a poet

RIP my friend


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## Jacqueline

I feel ya. The poem is real, makes me wanna do something too. I'ma post it for people to see.


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## redleafjumper

I am gladdened to see that the heart of war poetry still beats in Canadian soldiers.  Perhaps there are others who have contributions to poetry and literature to share.


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## EXMPptbo

Well done. The core of military service wrapped up in a few lines. 
Thanks Jeff.


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## odin

One man's word's as a soldier, Every soldier's thought's.

                                                  Odin


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## chicka36

" ...Pulling the blanket over my head will not keep them
              from coming ashore ... "

Those are strong words. They are so nicely said.
Very impressive poem if you ask me and I am glad you choose to share it with us.


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## missing1

Short and to the point. Very good, should be sent to the NDP


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## proudnurse

I remember that I had read that poem, and it truly left an impression for me. It was printed in my local newspaper quite sometime ago. 

Very HONEST, gentle words. May it be passed on!

Rebecca


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## MiKeCf

Great poem.

RIP Brother.


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## pinkbug

This is so nicely written.
A very long story cut short in a good way!


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## Jacqueline

*And 2Morrow  *   


Today is filled with anger
fueled with hidden hate
scared of being outcast
afraid of common fate
Today is built on tragedies
which no one wants 2 face
nightmares 2 humanities
and morally disgraced
Tonight is filled with rage
violence in the air
children bred with ruthlessness
because no one at home cares
Tonight I lay my head down
but the pressure never stops
knawing at my sanity
content when I am dropped
But 2morrow I c change
a chance 2 build a new
Built on spirit intent of Heart
and ideals
based on truth
and tomorrow I wake with second wind
and strong because of pride
2 know I fought with all my heart 2 keep my
dream alive 

_Unknown Author_


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## zanshin

I wonder how many times I've come back to this thread to re-read Monsters in the Dark? 

wow
 :'(


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## gordsett

A few words, a lot of thought and a great deal  to remember. Should be must reading for all who doubt the heart of the serving men and women of Canada.


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## pinkbug

gordsett, that was very well said.


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## canadiangirl123

Very nice poem it's very well written


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## RHFC_piper

Regarding the first poem;  Its taken me a while, a long while, but I think I understand this poem.  I understand it the same way I now understand and respect veterans of past wars and conflicts. Its an unspoken understanding.

Its a very good poem.


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## tasop_999

The eloquence of this poem is its strength and it exudes the spirit of the fight.  Well said Mcpl Walsh.  

I remember.

We will remember them now and always.  Lest we forget.


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## mckee19

unreal poem, not much of a poetry guy but that made me proud to be canadian and proud to be in the forces
R.I.P MCpl Walsh


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## gaspasser

Simple words, strong thoughts and feeling.
"At the going down of the sun..."
Well said Brother.
BYTD.


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## Mike Baker

Very very nice. May he Rest In Peace


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## Sheila Baker

Sent chills over me. RIP.


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## Sigs Pig

quinner12 said:
			
		

> This poem was written by MCpl Walsh earlier this year:
> 
> _Monsters in the Dark
> by MCpl Jeff Walsh_
> 
> _I know that they are out there:
> I will not be ignorant anymore:
> Pulling the blanket over my head will not keep them
> from coming ashore;
> Instead I choose to confront them
> as afraid as I might be;
> Because if I don't stop the monsters
> our children can never be free._
> 
> 
> Rest in Peace my friend.  2VP



Seems about the right time to bring the "required reading" back.

Also to add this one I received in my inbox:

Unknown Author, please consider the "He" to be both he and she.

_Who Is He 
He is profane and irreverent, living as he does in a world full of capriciousness, frustration and disillusionment. He is perhaps the best-educated of his kind in history, but will rarely accord respect on the basis of mere degrees or titles.

... He speaks his own dialect, often incomprehensible to the layman. He can be cold, cruel, even brutal and is frequently insensitive. Killing is his profession and he strives very hard to become even more skilled at it. 

His model is the grey, muddy, hard-eyed slayer who took the untakeable at Vimy Ridge, endured the unendurable in the Scheldt and held the unholdable at Kapyong. 

He is a superlative practical diplomat; his efforts have brought peace to countless countries around the world. He is capable of astonishing acts of kindness, warmth and generosity. He will give you his last sip of water on a parched day and his last food to a hungry child; he will give his very life for the society he loves. Danger and horror are his familiars and his sense of humour is accordingly sardonic. What the unknowing take as callousness is his defence against the unimaginable; he whistles through a career filled with graveyards.

His ethos is one of self-sacrifice and duty. He is sinfully proud of himself, of his unit and of his countryand he is unique in that his commitment to his society is Total. No other trade or profession dreams of demanding such of its members
and none could successfully try.

He loves his family dearly, sees them all too rarely and as often as not loses them to the demands of his profession. Loneliness is the price he accepts for the privilege of serving. He accounts discomfort as routine and the search for personal gain as beneath him; he has neither understanding of nor patience
for those motivated by self-interest, politics or money. 

His loyalty can be absolute, but it must be purchased. Paradoxically, the only coin accepted for that payment is also loyalty. He devours life with big bites, knowing that each bite might be his last and his manners suffer thereby. He would rather die regretting the things he did than the ones he dared not try. He earns a good wage by most standards and, given the demands on him, is woefully underpaid.

He can be arrogant, thoughtless and conceited, but will spend himself, sacrifice everything for total strangers in places he cannot even pronounce. He considers political correctness a podium for self-righteous fools, but will die fighting for the rights of anyone he respects or pities.

He is a philosopher and a drudge, an assassin and a philanthropist, a servant and a leader, a disputer and a mediator, a Nobel Laureate peacekeeper and the Queen's Hitman, a brawler and a healer, best friend and worst enemy. He is a rock, a goat, a fool, a sage, a drunk, a provider, a cynic and a romantic dreamer. Above it all, he is a hero for our time. 

You, pale stranger, sleep well at night only because he exists for you, the citizen who has never met him, has perhaps never thought of him and may even despise him. He is both your child and your guardian. His devotion to you is unwavering. 

He is a Canadian Soldier_

ME
 :remembrance:


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## Robert0288

I'm glad that this thread got bumped so I can read it.  Manditory reading is right, I got shivers from Monsters in the Dark.


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## Canadian.Trucker

I too had some shivers from Monsters in the Dark, excellent poem.

Thank you as well to Sigs Pig for the contribution.

A salute to all those in uniform currently serving, and a special thank you to those that have gone on before us.  You are remembered and shall not be forgotten.
RIP MCpl Walsh, well done.


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