More Poems by Bob Rotruck

December 2007

Bob Rotruck in Navy uniform

Bob Rotruck, CW03, United States Navy, (RET)

Daddy, Come Home!

My birthday is coming up soon,
We’re having a party about noon.
Daddy can’t you come home,
I don’t want to party all alone.
We just celebrated Veteran’s Day,
I did the best I could to pray.

Thanksgiving is coming soon,
We’re having dinner about noon.
Daddy can’t you come home,
I don’t want to eat all alone.
I will say a very special grace,
And pray that I will soon see your face.

Christmas is coming soon,
We’re opening presents way before noon.
Daddy can’t you come home,
I don’t want to see my presents alone.
I will say special words about baby Jesus,
And pray that you see him too with us.

And now a year has come and gone,
Daddy you’ve been away much too long.
Daddy can't you please come home,
I’m growing up, but I don’t want to do it alone.
I will say my prayers at bedtime tonight,
And pray and pray that you are safe and all right.

And now a stranger stands at our door,
I don’t know why he is there for sure.
I heard him say it is with deep regret.
Mommy is frowning, her brow in a fret.
She drops to her knees and begins to cry,
I look at the stranger and I don’t know why.

His uniform is like Daddy’s, I wish it was he,
But your Daddy’s not coming home, you see.
He is safe in heaven with Jesus above,
But he sends you his undying love.

Daddy has gone home!

ROTRUCK – ‘07

U.S. Navy "Sweetheart Pillow" - "remembering"

Black Sedan

One of parents and spouses most terrifying fears,
Has haunted many people for many years.
When we have loved ones overseas,
Many of us spend time on our knees.

We pray to our God Almighty above,
That He will spare the ones we love.
They are the men and women who serve our nation,
They do it as volunteers at their military station.

They stand in harm’s way on foreign soil,
It is dangerous, dirty work requiring much toil.
They put their lives on the firing line,
Sometimes death is as thin as a dime.

And moms, dads, and siblings wait,
They hope and pray they don’t have a date.
A date when the black sedan stops in front of their door,
A military officer steps out and walks solemnly, for sure.

He carries a message from the Commander-in-Chief,
It is written with tenderness and grief.
The letter opens with, “It is with deep regret,”
No need to read further, the tears flow, sure as a bet.

You stare at the officer; there's a tear in his eye,
He knows that your child didn’t have to die.
He could have stayed home and let others carry on,
But he knew in his heart that his friends had gone.

But he wanted to do his part for our nation,
And off he went to the receiving station.
And the last thing he said when he got into the recruiting van,
was, "Don’t worry, mom and dad, you won’t see the black sedan."

God bless our military men and women!

ROTRUCK– ‘07

Pearl Harbor pillow cover

World War II pillow cover, collection of Patricia Cummings