This poem is about one lonely man I met in a coffee house. Unfortunately there are many lonely souls in this world – some defenders of our country fighting for a cause gave their all - still they cared about loving life and helping the weak In that there's nothing wrong. But where is the helping hand in return when they are on their own? The strong have no champions when they are weak it seems - they stand alone!

The Survivor

To the coffee house I stray
People talking news of the day
Staring into his coffee cup
Was a man in a suit of grey?

When I sat down beside him
His blue eyes lit up with a smile
And in gentlemanly fashion
He hoped I would stay for awhile

A veteran of World War 2
Christmas no family around
He had been a merchant seaman
Many of his friends had drowned

For Hitler wanted to starve Britain
And bring her to her knees
In the Mid Atlantic “Black Gap”
Where U-boats lurked the seas

Wolf packs attacked our convoys
And many ships were lost
A great disaster for the allies
Whose lives took a heavy cost?

I’m glad I met this survivor
And hope I made his day
Do wish more people would listen
To what those lonely have to say!

Beryl McMullen