It was the “sixties” and I had just entered my teens. My somewhat older peers were becoming “hippies,” “turning on and dropping out,”marching for civil rights, and burning their draft cards. I remember causing quite a stir on the school bus with my newly self-inflicted “Beatles haircut,” and was clandestinely reading my cousin’s Mad Magazine, learning guitar chords, singing Joan Baez songs, and telling “knock-knock”and disgusting “green hair” jokes with my friends.
My uncle, who had served in World War II in Europe, described, with his usual drama, people making cider by pressing apples through straw. He thought that was pretty unsanitary. Inspired, I wrote this cheery little song to “gross out” my brother and sister and our friends and to annoy our parents.
After a frustrating week with no internet, I am posting this little ditty I wrote in high school. You have been warned!
I will be trying to catch up on my emails, and I look forward to reading your blogs. ❤
Dark Hollow Falls, Shenandoah National Park. Photo from Adobe Stock Photos.
Just the Two of Us
One day we made the winding, steep descent,
enchanted by the waterfall’s sweet song.
In pools below we swam to heart’s content,
the two of us together all day long.
One day we climbed up to the mountaintop,
where winter winds had dwarfed the ancient trees,
and we lay dreaming on a sun-warmed rock,
our skin caressed by every summer breeze.
One day we strolled among the ferns so green,
a fragrant carpet on the forest floor.
Below us stretched a peaceful valley scene.
We thought our love would last forevermore.
Oh, those were golden days I spent with you,
enjoying nature’s wonders, just we two!
(C) 2011 JOHN BILOUS. Ferns in Shenandoah National Park from Adobe Stock Photos.(C) 2011 JOHN BILOUS Shenandoah National Park. Photo from Adobe Stock Photos.A white-tailed deer fawn standing in a meadow in Shenandoah National Park. Photo by Paul from Adobe Stock Photos.
Christmas Tree, Dnipro, Ukraine. Photo by Valentyn Cherretskyi from UnSplash.
Envision Peace on Earth
Tears are falling still.
Destruction and death drag on.
Love of country remains
in the hearts of the people
who fight and die for Ukraine.
Photo by Sebbi Strauch from UnSplash.
Brave Ukrainians
work, endure, celebrate life,
smile, laugh, play, sing, dance!
They light the candles of hope,
envisioning peace on earth.
A protest in Japan. Photo by Breakify from UnSplash.
Our war-weary world
remembers; Sovreignity
defended world-wide
preserves the rights and freedoms
deeply cherished by ourselves.
Protest in Berlin, Germany. Photo by Dea Andreea from UnSplash.
Dictators may rise,
seizing control over nations,
ending human rights.
Tyrants may try to dominate…
even your country or mine.
Ukrainian flag flying in Norway. Photo by Anastasiia Dudnyk from UnSplash.
The world remembers,
“Eternal vigilance is
the price of freedom.”
Ukraine, you are not alone.
We share your vision of peace.
Children’s paintings on display in Prague, Czechia. Photo byYura Khomitskyi from UnSplash.
Protest at the White House in Washington, DC. Photo by Gayatri Malhotra from UnSplash. Demonstrations in support of Ukraine have been held in cities and towns across the USA.
“Eternalvigilance is the price of liberty.“
This famous saying seems particularly applicapable in our times. In various forms, it became popular in the early days of the United States of America. Variations are attributed to many people, including Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry. It is thought to have originated from an earlier quote. “The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance.” John Philpott Curran, Dublin, Ireland, 1790
Bumper Sticker in Seoul, South Korea. Photo by Lenny Honn from UnSplash.
The photos in this post show some of the many countries that support Ukraine.
I wish I could show all of them!
Poland has sheltered huge numbers of refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine. A demonstration in Poland. Photo by Eugene T Kachenko
Protesters in Lithuania. Photo by Dovile Ramoskaite from UnSplash.
Calgary, Canada. Photo by Ahmed Zalabany from UnSplash.
Photo by Ahmed Zalabany from UnSplash.
St. Basil’s Cathedral, Moscow, Russia. Russian citizens have suffered as a result of the war against Ukraine. Protests in Russia have been suppressed, and many protesters have been arrested, jailed, or have disappeared. Large numbers of young Russian men have fled the draft into neighboring countries.
A Demonstration in France. Photo by Cedric VT from UnSplash.
London. Photo by Ehimetalor Akere Unuabona from UnSplash.
A protest against atrocities comitted against Ukrainian civilians. London, England. Photo by Andreea De Santis from UnSplash.
Zimbabwe. Girl supporting Ukraine. Photo by Ben Masora from UnSplash.
Vienna, Austria. Photo by Tetiana Shyshkina from UnSplash.
In peacetime, Ukraine supplies food to many countries. There are food shortages in some countries due to the war. Ukrainian wheat field. Photo by Polina Rytova from UnSplash.
Gulf Coast Poet 