Turned on the televisions at exactly five minutes before one

Fully expecting to see a simple thing, a media event become 

... The showering of fifty-seven roses over the Statue of Liberty

To signify the years passed since America became a target seen



As hundreds of Japanese planes swooped down on Pearl Harbor

Dropping bombs onto battleships ... making it so very much harder

For President Roosevelt to keep the United States out of World War

As the attack meant the country was no longer neutral on any score



So the announcement was made the wars in Europe and the Far East

Were now combined into one larger event - a second world war reached

With the U.S. heading up the Allies ... combined with Brits and free French

And triggering American soldiers to once again have to fight in the trench



And after it all ... and so many good men lost their lives or were maimed

The Japanese finally surrendered four years later ... after Truman aimed

Two bombers at Hiroshima and Nagasaki ... virtually levelling both cities

As radioactive warfare was initiated ... the scene just wasn't at all pretty



And now, all these fifty-seven years later ... the Japanese are our allies

Both in commerce and in entertainment ... it's amazing how time flies ...

Things change so much as time evolves ... even though there was a toll  

On both sides ... so many hurt in so many ways ... thank God time rolls ...



- Tristram



(c) Christopher W. Thomas

4:20pm Monday, Dec. 7th, 1998