My Father In The Philippines

My Father In The Philippines

My father in the Philippines

Imprisoned during WWII

Told me about what “I can’t” means

And what men under stress can do.

Imprisoned by the Japanese

(A U.S. Army officer)

Then under our enemies

This incident did once occur.

The commandant who ran the camp

Came to my father for a look

(Examined underneath his lamp)

My father at his patient took.

My father diagnosed the case

And told his patient he would die

Unless he treated him those ways

He had to cure his patients by.

Without the proper medicine

He couldn’t treat the commandant

(Inadequate as they had been

Supplies he had were very scant)

That drugs were necessary to

Administer he was without,

And what the commandant must do

His doctor told him all about.

(Diphtheria’s a dread disease

And that was clear to anyone,

American or Japanese

Or Philippino: sparing none.

“I’ll treat you if you will supply

Me with drugs for my hospital

So I can treat my patients by—

You have to get enough for all,

“And I can’t help you otherwise,”

My father told the commandant

To make his patient recognize

The meaning of the words “I can’t”

So that the commandant agreed

To order what was needed for

The prisoners who were in need

Of being treated heretofore.