In Lebanon where I lived for a short period there were lovely Snobar Cedars, which grew predominantly in Lebanon. We could see them all around and I would often retreat beneath their shade for an afternoon get-away or a picnic. I would sometimes talk to the trees (and yes, I am a little odd) and could imagine our discussions had I been able to hear their voices. I'm sure we have all heard of the phrase, "oh, if walls could talk". I applied this phrase to the cedars which rested on the hills a...
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We had just finished entertaining some young people at the main house and only the team was inside when it occurred. Had we any glass in the windows it would have all been blown out. As it was, my back was against the window, leaning on thin plastic, when a sudden noise and flash of light filled the room. The plastic slapped violently at my back. It is all a blur now, but I do recall my team members running outside (out the very door from which the flash occurred) to investigate. I wasn’t a...
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Though we were removed from the greatest danger during the war, one would often hear rockets and explosions beyond the hills. The tanks would drive past our front gate, reminding us that though we were in the "Green Zone," war was still reality.

I cannot remember how we met Bill. As a mercenary, he went from war-zone to war-zone, fighting for whichever side would pay him the most. He showed up at our home and being a fellow Westerner in the Middle East there was always a common bond that natu...
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This poem is based upon one experience I encountered while living in Southern Lebanon. We lived across the Maronite church and slowly the villagers were returning from the north. The Palestinians massacred most of the village, apart from those who escaped into the Snowbar Mountains and fled north, either by foot or by sea. The Palestinians then propelled rockets into northern Israel and occupied the villagers homes. Later, the Israeli tanks had no choice but to blast into the villages to defe...
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