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Memorial Day ’23

Weep No More

Charles Suddeth

I weep for the countless fallen,

For those who will never rise again,

For those whose pain is beyond my knowing,

For those crippled and wounded.

I weep for their families and friends,

For all those empty chairs and years,

For all the songs never to be sung,

For all the loved ones never to be kissed.

I weep for those with aching hearts,

Whose grief will never be assuaged,

Whose sorrow will never be diminished,

Whose love will live forever.

Memorial Day 2023

Memorial Day 2023

On this Memorial Day, I do remember:

A great- great, great Uncle, William Sudduth, died at Raisin River, War of 1812.

My great-great grandfather, Lucilious Pate, came home in 1865 to find his wife and family gone, his younger brother, Wesley had drowned when an army steamboat caught fire, and another brother, James, had died in battle.

My great grandfather, Thomas Gillenwaters, came home in 1865 to find his father dead, his family starving, and a brother whose name I cannot recall had died in battle.

My great-great grandparents, Andrew William and Mary Greenfield, were murdered in 1863 by guerillas near Brandenburg, Kentucky.

My great-great grandfather, Samuel Anderson, made it home in 1865, but his health and lungs were ruined. His three brothers served in the same regiment: James, William, and Wilson.

My grandmother’s cousin, Beanie (Bennie) Short died in 1865, a Confederate guerrilla, but I do not judge him.

Clarence Dean woke up in 1945 in a battlefield morgue. He died in his 90’s but would never talk about it.

James Fugit had his legs crushed in 1945. Doctors told him he would never walk again, but 6 months later, he walked out of a military hospital and lived another 60 years.

I have gone to school or worked with countless people, some of whom likely died in Vietnam or the Middle East, and they should not be forgotten even though I have lost track of them.

To all of the above and countless others who gave their lives, I salute you.

Charles Suddeth

[Samuel Anderson Union Army 5th Kentucky Cavalry, Company E.] [Thomas Gillenwaters Union Army, Company C, 37th Regiment Kentucky Mounted Infantry gun.]

How fast can a hare run?

In an emergency, they get hit 45 MPH. Yes, they can outrun coyotes (sorry Wiley). The downside is they are short-winded sprinters and will need to either find shelter or a hiding place.

Red dogs: A North American Buffalo/is bison is called a red dog when it born. They have an orangish-red coat. Dog comes from a cowboy term doggie/dogie for a motherless calf, origin unknown.

My poem. “Never Suffer a Fool,” has been published in the July Writers Monthly PDF, a magazine for writers. Yearly subscription is $13.

https://www.jespiddlin.net/writersmonthly/

Hi tech WWII style

My father, Charles George Suddeth, was in high school during WWII. He drove an old Dodge Desoto with a straight-six engine like the 37 Desoto in the photos. He would work on it all week so he could date my mom on Saturdays. The old cars didn’t last long. He sold it in 1946.

My Preakness Picks

The Preakness is Saturday May 20 at Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore. Just my humble picks.

WIN Mage. T. Gustavo Delgado, J. Javier Castellano.

(Mage won the Derby, just 1 Derby horse dared run against him. Enough for me)

PLACE First Mission. T. Brad Cox, J. Luis Saez.

(Brad Cox is a great trainer from Louisville, First Mission won his last race)

SHOW National Treasure. T. Bob Baffert, J. John Velazquez.

(Bob Baffert is a legendary trainer, enough for me)

Book release

My picture book, Tortoise and Hare? No Way! will be released May 31 by Pen It Publications. Based on how I read the story to elementary students. I had as much fun as they did. Details to follow.

 

My mother, Mary Katherine Pait Suddeth, left for the Summer Lands in 2011.

June in Triplicate

Charles Suddeth

1957

Dad hated the daytime,

He always drove in the night,

Through dark Hoosier towns,

Mom asleep in the backseat.

Dad said the diners stank,

We passed them all by,

I fiddled with the radio,

Listened to “Ramblin’ Rose.”

1966

Dad still drove through the night,

Mom still asleep in the backseat.

At a New York truck stop,

We choked down stale coffee.

Mom decided to stretch her legs.

We drove off in the dark,

She still stood in the parking lot,

Trembling hands on hips,

I found a radio station,

They played “Ramblin’ Rose.”

2011

Dad chose to leave us,

Left me to drive all alone

Through life’s dark nights,

Mom never forgot New York.

She finally joined Dad,

Somewhere on a radio,

“Ramblin’ Rose” is playing.

Mother’s Day 2023

This is my mother, Mary Katherine Pait Suddeth. Her last earthly Mother’s Day was 2011, but still I wish her a Happy Mother’s Day, now and forever.

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