Poems About Love, War and Just for Fun

By Jack DiNola

Vietnam

Gray lead and shiny yellow brass
Pushing death
From a stainless steel gun
Thats not made of flesh:
Its integral parts lubricated
By oil and grease
To withstand the heat and humidity,
But what is there to erase
The red stain
On white cloth that covers
The pain
On a moving part of anatomy
Or the look on a human face?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Abbott Press
• Release date: Dec 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458200884

Jack DiNola

Jack DiNola served in World War II and the Korean conflict as a member of the US Army. During his service, he was awarded the Bronze Star with two Oak Leaves, a First Combat Infantry Badge, a Purple Heart, and many other military awards. For many years, he was a New Jersey attorney qualified to practice in front of the Supreme Court. Other verses by Jack appear in the collection Poems about Love, War and Just for Fun.

Book preview

Contents

1947 March 16 1997

A Flower’s Friend

A Prayer

A Service Man’s Dream

Admission

Andre

Antique Shop

Aquamare

Autopsy

Autumn of My Life

Bad

Barricade of Ghosts

Be My Valentine

Bell and Bird

Blade of Grass

Born Free

Boyhood Dreams

Brown Eyed Girl

By Her I Would Be

Cent

Children

Christmas Night

Coronation

Crawlin’ Creatures

Crazy Over You

Daphne from Japan

Dave

Dead Soldiers

Diary of a German Soldier

Don’t

Echoes From The Delaware

ETHEL (A Rose for You)

Evermore

Falling in Love

Fishes

Fool Like Me

Friend

Funny People

Gift

Glad

Gluttony

God Doesn’t Seem to Give a Damn

Gratitude

Hand in Hand

Handful of Dust

He’s A Wolf

Hear the Sobs of Mother’s Tears

Here I Sit

High School Junior

I Love You

I Saw

I

If You Can

If

It’s Nice

It’s Not For Us To Reason Why

Kiss 2

Kiss

Kisses

Korean Incident

Ladies Only

Lamentation

Leaning Tower of Pisa

Lily of the Valley

Little Sal

Little Singing Man

Man of ’17

May I Live

Me

Mem’ry Book

Miller’s Daughter

Mine

Miser of the World

Moonbeams Three

Moonbeams Two

Moonbeams

Mother Tree

Mother’s Son

Mugger in the Streets

My Brother

My True Love

Nine Days

None, But All My Love

Nothing More

O Wondrous Ship

Ode To Astronauts

Oh Well or How Was I To Know

Ordnance to Infantry

Ox

Pagoda

Path

Peace

Presidential Candidate

Ragaty Man

Remember

Remembering

Rendezvous

Requiem For a Church

Reverie

Roman’ Hobo

Roses and a Corpse

Sea Waves

Seagull

Seasons Four

Senility

"She Came She Went’’

Sheep Dream

Since Mother’s Gone Away

Snow

Snowflakes

Sonata in Velvet

Soon Marry

Spring Never Came

Spring

Stars

Summer’s Breeze

Sunset

Tears

Thanksgiving 1968 A.D.

The Bartenders Tale of Woe

The Battle of Lenape and Blackfeet

The Bugle

The Country Churchyard

The Dream

The Flea

The Girl

The Imbecile

The Infantryman (1943)

The Judge

The Kiss

The Night of April 9, 1968

The Pool

The Prisoner

The Rain

The Sea

The Ship

The Snowman

The Soldier Boy

The Soldier

The Storm

The Traveler

Thoughts

To Ethel - February 19, 1944

To Ethel - April 27, 1951

To Ethel - May 28, 1951 -

I Need You Darling

To Ethel - May 29, 1951

To Ethel - June 1, 1951

To Ethel - August 7, 1951

To Ethel - November 7, 1951

To Ethel - December 16, 1951

To Ethel - February 7, 1952

Today

Traveler

Trees

Two Squirrels and a Mouse A Christmas Story

Upon A Mountainside

Using The Tools

Vietnam

Viva la Bagatelle

War

Waves

When Will the War End?

Which Way Does the Wind Blow?

Wish

Would

Yesterday

You Can Tell What You Are

You

From Ethel to Jack-1

From Ethel to Jack-2

From Ethel to Jack-3

Dedication

This is dedicated to the memory of our father Jack DiNola and mother, his wife, Ethel M. DiNola from Jon Barry DiNola & Diane L. DiNola, son and daughter of Jack and Ethel.

Jack DiNola, son of Mathew DiNola and Theresa (Chiavetti) DiNola, born October 1917, died March 18, 1969. Ethel May DiNola daughter of Emelia and Ernest Dreher born February 1919 and died December 17, 1967.

These poems were written by Jack DiNola who starting writing as a young man up until his death. This is the complete works by Jack starting as early as the 9th grade and possibly earlier we don’t know for sure. There are some 170 poems with the last one written in the year of his death, March 1969. Three poems were written by our mother, we felt that they should be included also. Poetry was a small hobby of our father and while he was alive he sponsored a poetry contest (with a cash prize) each year at Ewing High School for a number of years which we kept going after his death until the school stopped due to lack of interest. He would write on a napkin while having lunch or dinner someplace, or while waiting for a jury to decide the outcome of one of his clients at the court house. As one reads it is obvious many were written during war time, about dying or death, that’s because Jack served in WWII in Europe and the Korean conflict. Some were written while on board ship traveling to and from these wars others while stationed in some foreign country. He was a Lieutenant Colonel when he left the service to complete his law degree at Rutgers and had been awarded a bronze star with two Oak Leaves, a 1st Combat Infantry Badge, a purple heart and many other military awards while serving. What I do know and remember of him is that he was a true patriot, he loved this country. There are many poems about love, written to his girl friend and soon to be his wife, our mother, Ethel.

We want to thank you for taking the time to read these. The three poems written by our mother to Jack, neither my sister nor I have any idea as to the time they were written and we can only assume that it was prior to and soon after they married.

A portion of any proceeds received from the sales of this book will be donated to the American Heart Association.

1947 March 16 1997

Looking closely at this date,

We see a birthday to celebrate.

The numbers just stand straight in line,

Yet YOU want to keep it at FORTY-NINE.

Being fifty could be niff—tee,

For it’s true you are the gift—ee.

Starting here you have the right.

Going back in time? Just take a bite.

You want to start your age anew?

Be careful, this wish may JUST come true.

Push the hands back on the clock.

See how far you, too, can rock.

In the journey from child to man

Trying to reverse it, if you can.

Bumps and bruises, you may befall,

Do take care, now! Don’t use them all.

This trip can take you to the brink

Of ANY THING your mind can think.

A bicycle, a tricycle, truck or car

Any will do, and you’ll go far.

Reversing the process, do take heed

Some of THIS you also may need.

So pack your bags, sit back and rest.

Take only this, kids call it BEST.

When you were a kid the first go around

Bet you didn’t have this to cover ground.

So in the bag of necessities,

Pack this too. Your gums you’ll please.

No need to travel all alone,

Even tho’ you’ll have a phone.

You’ll need a friend to accompany you

As with buccaneers of old, THEIR word was true.

Whatever road may seem a glide,

Take new paths just for the ride.

As youth returns more energy is trapped,

Kids eat these and boy, it’s tapped.

The road in reverse may BE perverse,

I’m having trouble with THIS verse.

A bit of this, a batch of rubble,

I don’t mean to burst your bubble.

Though you may be still young at heart,

Some may think you just an OLD fart.

Pass these