Now that we have strolled along the pathway
Up from the river to the graves at Chungkai
To witness the solitude and beauty
Of the cemetery where a Son and Brother lie.
And we who've made this special journey
A pilgrimage we all have shared
Wonder why so many perished
While we who returned were spared.
Flowers, shrubs and trees have been planted
Tended with care through all the years
Plaques with name and epitaph printed
We read through freely flowing tears.
The prison camps have all now vanished
Grown over by jungle and lost in time
But the graves we see are grim reminders
Of men who were taken in their prime
We have this feeling he know of our presence
Just why its hard to explain
But our journey have achieved a sense of purpose
To be with him just for a while again
And all those who sleep out here in Thailand
And other Far East war graves o'er the sea
Will never ever be forgotten
By us who live on, forever free
By Maurice Rooney
|