Why, GOD, Not Me?

A Poem by Walter J. Scherr


A bucket list is mandatory when you get to be my age,
To finish things so long put off so I can turn the page.
I took my time, I wrote my list, peace I hoped to find,
So I could leave this place called Earth with a clearer mind.
Atop my list at number one was a visit to the beaches of D-Day,
To pay my respects to the young heroes who bravely led the way.
To understand at last, dear God, why it was not me,
Who died beneath those tall white cliffs that day in Normandy.

I stepped up and volunteered to fight for our country dear.
But tests revealed I had active TB, they said I must stay here.
If I had been healthy, I well know,
It could have been me who fell that day,
Instead of my neighbor, Francis Bowen,
Who was lost among the fray.
These many years I’ve carved a path to match his sacrifice,
So that I would not regret the life I led or how I rolled the dice.
To understand at last, dear God, why it was not me,
Who died beneath those tall white cliffs that day in Normandy.
The final chapter of my life is coming to a close,
As time passes, day by day, life around me slows.
I made the trip, I felt the rain, I prayed there at his grave,
I honored Francis Bowen and the other men so brave.
And as I knelt there, deep in prayer, it all became quite clear,
God blesses me, and Francis, and all the other heroes who lay near.
And I understood at last, dear God, why it was not me,
Who died beneath those tall white cliffs that day in Normandy.

Check out the Facebook page – Seeking Family of Francis N. Bowen

walter at cross017