Of a war that he once fought in
And the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his comrades;
They were heroes, every one.

And 'though sometimes to his neighbours
His tales became a joke,
All his friends listened quietly
For they knew whereof he spoke.

But we'll hear his tales no longer,
For old' Pongo has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer
For a Kingo died today.

He won't be mourned by many,
Just his children and his wife.
For he lived an ordinary,
Very quiet sort of life.

He held a job and raised a family,
Going quietly on his way;
And the world won't note his passing,
'though a Kingo died today.

When politicians leave this earth,
Their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing,
And proclaim that they were great.

Papers tell of their life stories
From the time that they were young,
But the passing of a Kingo
Goes unnoticed, and unsung.

Is the greatest contribution
To the welfare of our land,
Some jerk that breaks his promise
And cons his fellow man?

Or the ordinary fellows
Who in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his Country
And offers up his life?

The politician's stipend
And the style in which he lives,
Are often disproportionate,
To the service that he gives.

While the ordinary Kingo,
Who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal
And perhaps a pension, small.

It's so easy to forget them,
For it is so many times,
That our Bobs and Jims
Went to battle, but we still pine.

It was not the politicians
With their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom
That our Country now enjoys.

Should you find yourself in danger,
With your enemies at hand,
Would you really want some cop-out,
With his ever waffling stand?

Or would you want a Kingo ,
His home, his country, his kin,
Just a common Kingo,
Who would fight until the end?

IT IS THE SOLDIER

It is the Soldier, not the minister
Who has given us freedom of religion.

It is the Soldier, not the reporter
Who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the Soldier, not the poet
Who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the Soldier, not the student protester
Who has given us the freedom to protest.

It is the Soldier, not the lawyer
Who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the Soldier, not the politician
Who has given us the right to vote.

It is the Soldier who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who PERMITS the protester, TO BURN THE FLAG.

(© Charles M. Province)