BackThey are both honored in the Some Gave All program and in the Taps Gallery of the Vietnam Veterans Home Page
A Sweet Dream
Walking on the beach I found
A bottle washed up on the sand.
I picked it up and brushed it off,
A genie appeared in my hand.
'You have one wish,' he said to me,
'And this wish will last just one day.
"My wish," I said, "is to see my brother,
There's no price I would not pay."
The genie disappeared in a puff of smoke,
As quickly as he had come.
I continued my walk on the sandy shore,
Wondering where he had gone.
That night as I lay sleeping,
A figure appeared by my bed.
There he stood dressed in camoflage,
His helmet still on his head.
"You look so young!" I said in awe.
'And little sister, you have matured.'
I reached out to touch his face,
Knowing I had to be sure.
"How would you like to spend the day?"
'Let's visit Mom,' he said.
"I'm afraid I don't know where she is,
And I'm sorry to say, Dad's dead."
'I'd like to see my girlfriend.'
"She's married and has three kids."
'Well, Nancy, why don't you decide?'
"I know just the place we can visit."
It was a beautiful day in D. C.,
And for the first time in many years,
I walked side by side with Steve,
We littered the ground with our tears.
'I can't believe all those names
Belong to soldiers like me.'
"This is where those who care
Come to remember and grieve."
Slowly, the sun disappeared
And I knew this day would be over.
Though it was only a dream,
I had been to the Wall with my brother.
By Nancy Moore
c. 1999
Devonia & Steve
This is the story of Devonia and Steve,
ill-fated lovers of the sixties.
They fell in love while still in their teens,
'Twas a passion they cherished so deeply.
Their families disapproved, tried to keep them apart,
Which simply made them more determined.
To never be together would surely break their hearts,
Of this the young couple was certain.
Through clandestine meetings their yearning grew;
Shared hopes and dreams during secret rendezvous;
Vowed no one would ever divide them again;
Planned to runaway together with the aid of their friends.
The solution to their problems was not running away.
They created more questions than they answered that day.
Picked-up just a few miles away from their homes,
With no way of knowing the harm they had done.
Devonia was taken home, and was soon back in school.
Steve was hauled straight to juvenile court.
The judge said, since you can't follow the rules,
I'm sending you off to war.
From the jungle he wrote of his undying love,
Told her of his dreams and desires.
The letters she wrote said she felt the same.
Their passion burned like the flame of a fire.
As the enemy's bullet pierced through his heart,
His life's blood spilled to the ground.
In his pocket a letter held the last words
This young soldier would ever write down:
Devonia, I love you, and live for the day
When the two of us will be together.
I vow to you when that day is here,
I'll be yours forever.
By Nancy Moore
It was raining the day Dad and I
Went to visit the Wall.
We found a place to park the car,
Then made our way up the mall.
We both had seen the pictures
And articles about this place,
But neither of us was ready
For the impact of what we now faced:
58,000 names,
All engraved and so precise.
58,000 souls,
All paid the ultimate price.
58,000 people,
All left loved ones behind.
58,000 lives,
All lost before their time.
One name stood out from the many
Which we stopped and read.
The name of our son and brother
Was listed among the dead.
I reached out to touch the letters
And drew my hand back wet.
It seemed the Wall was crying
Tears of sadness and regret.
This day, 2/27/99, is the 32nd anniversary of my brother's death.
His name is Charles Steven Norris, USMC
By Nancy Moore
[email protected]
I had a brother a long time ago
He was handsome, tan and tall.
He loved baseball and fishing in the summer.
Ran track and field in the fall.
Our childhood was rocky, we never knew where
We would live from one day to the other,
But one thing was certain and forever sure,
I could always depend on my brother.
As a teen of the 60s, he tried to be cool.
Was frustrated and rebellious, soon gave up school.
A kid back then had no right to rebel.
For the crime of quitting school, he was sentenced to hell.
A conflict called Vietnam
Is where my brother was sent to fight.
This hell was jungles, mountains and fields,
With seldom an enemy in sight.
He never saw the bullets that turned his chest bright red.
He never felt the pain of the bayonet to his head.
He never saw the flag, or the flowers on his grave.
He didn't hear the ten gun salute, or see the cards I've saved.
Now, many years later,
I remember him on this day.
If only I could see him for a minute.
I'd give him a hug and I'd say:
"I'll always miss you, Steve!"
In Memory of Charles Steven Norris
May 31, 1948 - February 27, 1967
Always and forever in my heart,
Nancy