Soldier's Last Request poem

              

 " The soldier stood and faced his God

 Which must always come to pass...

He hoped his shoes were shining

 Just as brightly as his brass.

"Step forward now, you soldier,  How shall I deal with you?

Have you always turned the other cheek? 

 To My Church have you been true?"

The soldier squared his shoulders and Said,"No, Lord, I guess I ain't...

Because those of us who carry guns Can't always be a saint.

I've had to work most Sundays And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent, Because the streets are kinda rough.

But, I never took a penny That wasn't mine to keep...
Though I worked a lot of overtime When the bills got just too steep,

And I never passed a cry for help, Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me, I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place Among the people here...
They never wanted me around Except to calm their fears.

If you've a place for me here, Lord, It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much, and if you don't, I'll understand."

There was a silence around the throne where the saints had often trod...

As the soldier waited quietly,  For the judgment of his God.

"Step forward now you soldier, Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,

You've done your time in Hell son, and here at last, you will know peace."

God Bless my heroes.

Copyright JBStran.com

Spotting the Humming Moth..?

Interesting Creatures in my bushes: A Humming-Moth?

 

  While admiring the new flowers blooming on a few backyard bushes,  I encountered a rather unique (at least for me) critter flitting about on the tiny white flowers.

 At first glance I was chasing a Hummingbird, but as i got closer I realized it was in fact closer to the moth family:

 

{Click the photos for a better view}

 There were two of them, the most colorful being the one above with the red wings and crimson body.
 They flit about just like a Hummingbird (I've been trying to nail a blue one for weeks, that likes the larger flowers on another bush), and getting close enough is only the first hurdle to a good shot.
  It took me an hour and hundreds of wasted shots to get a decent closeup view:

 As a matter of scale, that branch of flowers is about 14" long and 4" across.
  This means that the elusive creature before you is about 5" long with a 6-8" wingspan...mighty impressive for a moth. 

Honestly, at my age, and having lived decades in the city as well as the last decade in the country, I thought I knew my moths...but this little critter fascinated me.
 ...Still does, to be honest. She's beautiful, and working very hard at either feeding her family on my nectar or pollinating my flowers.

 She had a friend (partner?) with her who was a bit less colorful, but just as interesting:

 

 I'm sure there are a few of you who can instantly ID this interesting creature, and you should feel free to feed your ego on the comment box.

 To be honest, I think I'd enjoy the mystery more than having a label to slap om her.

    How many of you would agree..?

JB.

 

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