CW FOREVER

You must have at time, thought into the past,
Where some things go out, while others last,
What comes to my mind is the Old Morse Code,
That has weathered the storms from any abode,

To talk with ones fingers, is surely an art,
Of any info you care to impart,
In most conditions the signals get thru,
While the same about phone is simply not true.

Those dits and dahs cut through the trash,
Of nearby noise or lightning's crash,
To the sensitive ears of the ham receiver,
Who records this data with ardent fever.

He knows he's doing something unique,
(in such poor conditions, that's quite a feat!)
To roger the message that came off the air,
These brass pounders sure do have that flair.

They say Morse ops are a dying breed,
But don't despair, there's always that need,
That when conditions get rough for the new automation,
Be rest assured, there'll be need for your station.

CW is dying? Believe it never,
This mode will be 'round forever and ever,
But one thing is sure, what we really need,
Is to relay our knowledge to the younger breed.

To carry the torch, long after we're gone,
To send Morse Code thru the air like a song,
When at last, Silent Keys pull that final lever,
We can rest in peace, it's CW FOREVER!

Jim Hatherley, WA1TBY, 7/4/85

Before I took the liberty to post Jim's poem on my website I looked up WA1TBY to see if he had a current email address.  I posted a message asking permission to use his poem and received an e-mail back from his daughter, Sue, N1TZY.

Jim is in the final stage of lung cancer and can no longer climb the stairs to reach his rig or his computer to enjoy his hobby.  About a year after reciving permission to use her dad's poem, I got word that Jim had become a SK.

His poem has been on this website many years now and I print the poem 3 to a page and use them as inserts along with every QSL card that I mail other than thru a bureau. Quite a few CW Forever poems hanging on noteboards around the world, I would think.

Jim's copyrighted poem is posted here for all CW operators to enjoy. If u would like permission to use the poem send Suzie a message asking for permission and where it will be used. (She likes getting a copy after it has been printed.)

(Jim became a Silent Key on December 19, 2000.)