A Voice Will Run

By John F Carver

The poems, meditations, and stories in this book are a reflection on the life of family, faith, and work the author has so richly experienced. This collection of free verse, sonnets, rhyme schemes and prose present a multitude of images and ideas that can be discovered over and again with each new reading. A testimony to American life and work that can be kept close at hand on any bookshelf for thoughtful and insightful reading.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Nov 2, 2022
• ISBN: 9781665572675

John F Carver

After graduating from Gannon University with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature, John Carver spent six years on Buffalo’s waterfront loading boxcars with one hundred pound bags of flour and later, cutting and milling steel at a processing plant. He spent the next 41 years as an inside and outside salesman in the steel, aluminum and copper industries traveling eight states, two provinces and Mexico. He and his wife of 48 years, Mary Ellen, raised 3 children, two of which served in the Iraq war, and have 11 grandchildren. They have been members of St Paul’s Parish in Kenmore, NY since 1976 devoting much of their time to its mission. He sees his extended family of 7 siblings and 30 first cousins regularly, spending time with many of them at their shared property in the Southern Tier of New York State.

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© 2022 John F Carver. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 10/21/2022

ISBN: 978-1-6655-7265-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-7266-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-7267-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022918442

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New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Contents

A Special Place

The Voice of Sacrifice

Watch

Honor

Longing

Anthem of Honor

Waiting

The American Soldier

The Voice of a Place

Allegheny Reflection

I Remember the Place

The Well

Song of the Allegheny

The Fireplace

The Wedge

Time at Our Place

Foundation Dig

The Voice of Family

For Uncle Joe

Inuit

A Man and His House

When We Helped

Noah

Longshoreman

Life Sketch

Preparation

Pitcher

Love’s Gift

Just a Thought

For R, L, and J …

Dialogue on a Hero

Scary!

Forged

The Voice of Work

Chestnutting

Steel Life

My Stewardship

Company Man

The Banding Line

Like Monks We Lived

The Anneal

Memories in Steel

The Mill

The Slitter

The Voice of Love

To a Mother from a Father

A Pin

Being

If You Were …

Moment

Awe Full Emotion

I Saw You

Love Thoughts

The Voice of Time

Autumn

Reflection

Seasons

Summer Nights

Spring Awakening

Time Travel

Bright the Dawn

First Snow

For You – Remembrance (Tammy’s Story)

The Voice of Faith

Advent Log

Ave Maria

Winter’s Reflection

A Gift to Cover Us

Mercy

Mother Theresa

Loss

Evergreen

Easter Greeting

Praise You

The Voice of Desert Places

Darkness

Sorrow

Lament

After 911

A Nephew’s Prayer

The Voice of Meditation

Sin

Meditation John 15:9-17 NABRE

Martha and Mary

Genesis 3:14-15 NIV

The Deceit of Science

The Vine and the Branches

Ash Wednesday

Short Stories

Kite Flying

The Big Sleep

Strength

Dedicated to my mother who was a good listener.

A Special Place

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Down by the land where the Eldeberry grows,

Near the banks of the swift Allegheny,

We laid down our weapons of war,

And took up the tools of peace.

Hammer and saw, shovel and pick,

Hard we worked in the rich green valley,

Cutting and clearing, building and shaping.

We played in the forest,

And looked for lichens on its soft damp ground.

It was ours and there was nothing like it we thought.

It was like a secret place.

But we wanted to share it with those we knew;

If only they would come and see.

6/93

The Voice of Sacrifice

Watch

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They came, the people,

To the tomb,

The tomb of the unknown,

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

In silence they watched

As the soldier without rank,

Marched in solemn cadence

To guard the remains,

Of the soldier of unknown rank

Who had made the ultimate sacrifice.

At the changing of the guard

An aged veteran came, hobbled and out of breath,

Worn from time and the wounds of war.

Blocked by the crowd, he could not see

To pay respect to his fallen comrade.

Hearing him they turned and,

Like a sea of people they parted,

And let him pass to the front of the silent crowd,

Close to the fallen soldier.

Then they resumed their watch

At the tomb,

The tomb of the unknown,