• Submit Poetry
  • Support SCP
  • About Us
  • Members
  • Join
Monday, September 7, 2026
Society of Classical Poets
  • Poems
    • Beauty
    • Culture
    • Satire
    • Humor
    • Children’s
    • Art
    • Ekphrastic
    • Epic
    • Epigrams and Proverbs
    • Human Rights in China
    • Music
    • Performing Arts
    • Riddles
    • Science
    • Song Lyrics
    • The Environment
    • The Raven
    • Found Poems
    • High School Poets
    • Terrorism
    • Covid-19
  • Poetry Forms
    • Sonnet
    • Haiku
    • Limerick
    • Villanelle
    • Rondeau
    • Pantoum
    • Sestina
    • Triolet
    • Acrostic
    • Alexandroid
    • Alliterative
    • Blank Verse
    • Chant Royal
    • Clerihew
    • Rhupunt
    • Rondeau Redoublé
    • Rondel
    • Rubaiyat
    • Sapphic Verse
    • Shape Poems
    • Terza Rima
  • Great Poets
    • Geoffrey Chaucer
    • Emily Dickinson
    • Homer
    • Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
    • Dante Alighieri
    • John Keats
    • John Milton
    • Edgar Allan Poe
    • William Shakespeare
    • William Wordsworth
    • William Blake
    • Robert Frost
  • Love Poems
  • Contests
  • SCP Academy
    • Educational
    • Teaching Classical Poetry—A Guide for Educators
    • Poetry Forms
    • The SCP Journal
    • Books
No Result
View All Result
Society of Classical Poets
  • Poems
    • Beauty
    • Culture
    • Satire
    • Humor
    • Children’s
    • Art
    • Ekphrastic
    • Epic
    • Epigrams and Proverbs
    • Human Rights in China
    • Music
    • Performing Arts
    • Riddles
    • Science
    • Song Lyrics
    • The Environment
    • The Raven
    • Found Poems
    • High School Poets
    • Terrorism
    • Covid-19
  • Poetry Forms
    • Sonnet
    • Haiku
    • Limerick
    • Villanelle
    • Rondeau
    • Pantoum
    • Sestina
    • Triolet
    • Acrostic
    • Alexandroid
    • Alliterative
    • Blank Verse
    • Chant Royal
    • Clerihew
    • Rhupunt
    • Rondeau Redoublé
    • Rondel
    • Rubaiyat
    • Sapphic Verse
    • Shape Poems
    • Terza Rima
  • Great Poets
    • Geoffrey Chaucer
    • Emily Dickinson
    • Homer
    • Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
    • Dante Alighieri
    • John Keats
    • John Milton
    • Edgar Allan Poe
    • William Shakespeare
    • William Wordsworth
    • William Blake
    • Robert Frost
  • Love Poems
  • Contests
  • SCP Academy
    • Educational
    • Teaching Classical Poetry—A Guide for Educators
    • Poetry Forms
    • The SCP Journal
    • Books
No Result
View All Result
Society of Classical Poets
No Result
View All Result
Home Poetry Beauty

A Memorial Day Poem: ‘Friends on the Wall’ by Roy E. Peterson

May 31, 2021
in Beauty, Culture, Poetry
A A
8
poems A Memorial Day Poem: 'Friends on the Wall' by Roy E. Peterson

.

To my friends on the wall who fought valiantly,
We thank all the dead for ensuring we’re free.
Remembrance, though fleeting, is etched on this wall.
Above waves Old Glory. You answered his call.
 
With honor you fought, and your life’s blood you gave.
Your name’s on the wall, wherever your grave.
You knew that for freedom there’d be no regret.
You left us with memories we’ll never forget.
 
We know that your family’s still grieving for you
Who went off to war for the red, white, and blue.
You fought the good fight, and you died not in vain.
This Memorial Day, we all share in your pain.

.

.

LTC Roy E. Peterson is a writer, retired U.S. Army Military Intelligence Officer, Foreign Area Officer, and Foreign Commercial Officer who currently resides in Texas.

ShareTweetPin
The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary.
Read Our Comments Policy Here

RandomPoems

‘In God We Trust’ by James A. Tweedie
Beauty

‘In God We Trust’ by James A. Tweedie

June 22, 2022

. “In God We Trust” The motto for our nation boldly states, “In God we trust,” Which is, of course,...

‘The Four O’Clocks of July’ by Alan Sugar
Beauty

‘The Four O’Clocks of July’ by Alan Sugar

July 2, 2019

  Side by side, like toy soldiers under the sky, these seedlings all stand in a row. And on this...

Next Post
poetry/homeschooling/teachers guide

Learning Poetry: A Guide for Students, Teachers, and Homeschoolers

‘A Reply to the Inner Self’ and Other Poetry by Douglas Thornton

Two Poems on Old Age, by C.B. Anderson

‘Far Across the Plains’ by Zachary Dilks

'Resist!' by Joe Tessitore

Comments 8

  1. TONIA KALOURIA says:
    5 years ago

    Heartfelt eloquence. Thank you.

    Reply
  2. Roy E. Peterson says:
    5 years ago

    Bless you, Tonia!

    Reply
  3. Rohini Sunderam says:
    5 years ago

    Fabulous! So moving and so well reflected in the art.

    Reply
    • Roy E. Peterson says:
      5 years ago

      I have many friends on the wall. Evan Mantyk found a beautiful work of art to go with the poem.

      Reply
  4. Susan Jarvis Bryant says:
    5 years ago

    Roy, thank you for your humble and heart-touching poem of respect and gratitude for all those who fought for our freedoms. And thank you, too, for your service, Sir.

    Reply
    • Roy E. Peterson says:
      5 years ago

      Bless you, Susan! You are a special poet with wonderful skills. I saw your poems published yesterday. As usual, I am in awe of your thoughts and how you express them!

      Reply
      • Susan Jarvis Bryant says:
        5 years ago

        Roy, thank you very much for your appreciative words – they’re an inspiration.

        Reply
  5. Margaret Coats says:
    5 years ago

    The Army men I served with were all returned survivors, but I know one name on the wall–the older brother of a childhood friend. That family was so much stronger than I knew at the time; together they grieved for an only son and only sibling. Thank you, Colonel Peterson, for remembering them along with your friends and all the others we remember today.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


  1. Cynthia L Erlandson on ‘Serenade’ and Other Poetry by Adam SediaSeptember 7, 2026

    "Serenade" is an exquisite weaving together of visual and auditory beauty ("micropolyphony" is marvelous!) It evokes the poignant feelings that…

  2. John Savoie on The Society of Classical Poets 2026 Haiku CompetitionSeptember 7, 2026

    #2 dragonfly alights on tip of the antenna radio playing

  3. Theresa Werba on ‘The Ballad of Babi Yar’ by Theresa RodriguezSeptember 7, 2026

    Sorry Margaret, once I again I did not place my reply under "reply" but it is nevertheless here on this…

  4. Theresa Werba on ‘The Ballad of Babi Yar’ by Theresa RodriguezSeptember 7, 2026

    Thank you so much Margaret for taking the time to re-read "The Ballad of Babi Yar" and comment on it.…

  5. Russel Winick on ‘Serenade’ and Other Poetry by Adam SediaSeptember 7, 2026

    It is a pleasure to read professional work like Adam’s, together with expert commentary such as that above. Thank you…

Subscribe to Daily Poems

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,638 other subscribers

Recent Poems

  • ‘On to Better Days’: A Poem by Bruce Dale Wise
  • ‘Serenade’ and Other Poetry by Adam Sedia
  • ‘Self-Exploration’ and Other Poems by Paul Millan
  • ‘Victory’: A Poem by Jonathan Graver
  • ‘The Cristero Centennial’: A Poem by Margaret Coats
  • ‘A Potpourri of Aphoristic Verses’ by C.B. Anderson
  • ‘The Estuary’: A Poem by Jeff Eardley
  • ‘A World Without the Wednesday Child’: A Poem by Kimberly Fore
  • The 2026 Society of Classical Poets International Poetry Competition
  • The 2026 SCP International High School Poetry Competition
  • ‘Realistic Reflections’ and Other Poetry by Anna J. Arredondo
  • ‘China Made’: A Poem by Theresa Werba
  • ‘The Savage Moon’ and Other Poetry by Brian Yapko
  • Poetry Book Review: Love Found, Yearned For, and Lost by James A. Tweedie
  • ‘When Opportunity Knocks’: A Poem by Roy E. Peterson
  • ‘Legend of the Griffin’: A Poem by Iryna Hall
  • ‘Government Issue’ and Other Poems by Joseph S. Salemi
  • ‘Chaucer Announces His Desire to Retire’: A Poem by Paul A. Freeman
  • ‘Advantages of Restaurants’ and Other Poems by Russel Winick
  • ‘Bone China’: A Poem by Mary Gardner
  • ‘On the Death of One Too Young to Die’: A Poem by Jeffrey Essmann
  • ‘This Too Shall Pass’ and Other Poetry by Justin Dasher
  • ‘Humdrum and Harum-Scarum’: A Lecture on Free Verse, by Robert Bridges (1922)
  • ‘Unrest On the Floodplain’: A Poem by Bhikkhu Nyanasobhano
  • ‘Latitude and Loss’: A Poem by Martin Briggs
  • ‘Act III’ and Other Poetry by C.B. Anderson
  • ‘God’s Funeral’: A Poem by James Sale
  • ‘Star Festival’: A Poem by Margaret Coats
  • ‘Song of the Frog Princess’: A Poem by Scharlie Meeuws
  • ‘The Odyssey: Nolan and Solot Compared’: An Essay by Michael Curtis

Categories

  • Acrostic
  • Alexandroid
  • Alliterative
  • Art
  • Best Poems
  • Blank Verse
  • Chant Royal
  • Classical Poets Live
  • Clerihew
  • Covid-19
  • Deconstructing Communism
  • Educational
  • Epic
  • Epigrams and Proverbs
  • Essays
    • Interviews with Poets
    • Poetry Reviews
  • Featured
  • From the Society
  • Great Poets
    • Dante Alighieri
    • Edgar Allan Poe
    • Emily Dickinson
    • Geoffrey Chaucer
    • Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
    • Homer
    • John Keats
    • John Milton
    • Robert Frost
    • William Blake
    • William Shakespeare
    • William Wordsworth
  • Human Rights in China
  • Limerick
  • Love Poems
  • Music
  • Pantoum
  • Performing Arts
  • Poetry
    • Beauty
    • Children's Poems
    • Culture
    • Ekphrastic
    • Found Poems
    • High School Poets
    • Humor
    • Riddles
  • Poetry Challenge
  • Poetry Contests
  • Poetry Forms
    • Curtal Sonnet
    • Haiku
  • Poetry Readings
  • Rhupunt
  • Rondeau
  • Rondeau Redoublé
  • Rondel
  • Rubaiyat
  • Sapphic Verse
  • Satire
  • Science
  • Sestina
  • Shape Poems
  • Short Stories
  • Song Lyrics
  • Sonnet
  • Symposium
  • Terrorism
  • Terza Rima
  • The Environment
  • Translation
  • Triolet
  • Video
  • Villanelle

Quick Links

  • About Us
  • Submit Poetry
  • Become a Member
  • Members List
  • Support the Society
  • Advertisement Placement
  • Comments Policy
  • Terms of Use

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Poems
    • Beauty
    • Culture
    • Satire
    • Humor
    • Children’s
    • Art
    • Ekphrastic
    • Epic
    • Epigrams and Proverbs
    • Human Rights in China
    • Music
    • Performing Arts
    • Riddles
    • Science
    • Song Lyrics
    • The Environment
    • The Raven
    • Found Poems
    • High School Poets
    • Terrorism
    • Covid-19
  • Poetry Forms
    • Sonnet
    • Haiku
    • Limerick
    • Villanelle
    • Rondeau
    • Pantoum
    • Sestina
    • Triolet
    • Acrostic
    • Alexandroid
    • Alliterative
    • Blank Verse
    • Chant Royal
    • Clerihew
    • Rhupunt
    • Rondeau Redoublé
    • Rondel
    • Rubaiyat
    • Sapphic Verse
    • Shape Poems
    • Terza Rima
  • Great Poets
    • Geoffrey Chaucer
    • Emily Dickinson
    • Homer
    • Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
    • Dante Alighieri
    • John Keats
    • John Milton
    • Edgar Allan Poe
    • William Shakespeare
    • William Wordsworth
    • William Blake
    • Robert Frost
  • Love Poems
  • Contests
  • SCP Academy
    • Educational
    • Teaching Classical Poetry—A Guide for Educators
    • Poetry Forms
    • The SCP Journal
    • Books

© 2025 SCP. WebDesign by CODEC Prime.