THE LARGEST fire ever known
Occurs each afternoon,
Discovered is without surprise,
Proceeds without concern:
Consumes, and no report to men,
An Occidental town,
Rebuilt another morning
To be again burned down.

- Emily Dickenson




...do you have any great Bonfire'esque Poems?

What is the "Bonfire" they have asked again and again of me.
It is something to define, it is something you must see.
It is working together and giving of time, it is blood, it is sweat, it is tears.
It is part of a tradition, a spirit untold, that will strengthen us down through the years.
It is pressure and pride - a friend by your side, to hand you an axe or a saw.
It is backache and pain, that seems to remain, it is blisters that always stay raw.
It is denying yourself, and the ones that you love, it is working when muscles say "NO!"
There's a job to be done and you are the one, whose job it is to say "GO!"
But no more than all this, it's a hug and a kiss, when the fire fills the night sky with light.
The crowd starts to sing, and the "war hymn" does ring; you regale in the pride of done right.
When you step back and look at the commitment it took, you feel proud to have met the demands.
The building of strength and the strongest link, of the "SPIRIT OF AGGIELAND."

BUILD THE HELL OUTTA BONFIRE!

(by Bruce Smith, Davis Gary class of '88, but usually listed as by "Anonymous" )




[This message has been edited by oldyeller (edited 10/16/2003 2:12p).]

In Aggieland some years ago
You could watch the trucks drive to and fro
Hauling hand cut oak down FM 60
That was a sight every Aggie knew

With Pots in hand and donning grodes
Most dorms would cut as Walton Loads
“Headaches” and wildcats were everywhere
And once in a while that air horn would sound Hullabaloo

There’d be dozens of trucks driving back and forth
Northgate would clear when the wind blew North
Because of the smell coming from FHK
They always made sure to use their rail

“The Bonfire Channel” had the best show on
other than the games our Aggies won
While the JRP’s would walk the perimeter
Through any storm; rain, sleet, or hail

With pastures cleared and records set
New friends made in the cold and wet
The building continued year after year
And so did the feelings and the pride

When the build had fallen a time or two
Out flew rumors of duct tape and glue
Only, in ’99 things didn’t happen the same
This whole town cried

It’s six years now missing the stacks
Seems less and less they care for it back
The easy way out it seems to some
But things could never be the same

In ninety years there missed just one
And nobody knew when ‘98 was done
That it was the last they’d ever see
And nobody else realizes what’s behind that flame

As the years pass by memories will be forgot,
The bitter cold, and the fights they fought,
But never the 12 bells that rang,
Or the silent “T” by the Texas Aggie Band

But off in the shadows there’s another crew
That endures freezing mist and the morning dew
Doing the best to keep a tradition alive
Right here in Aggieland…

--We are a part of something greater than ourselves--

It was Judgment Day in Aggieland
And tenseness filled the air;
All knew there was a trip at hand,
But not a soul knew where.

Assembled on the drill field
Was the world-renowned Twelfth Man,
The entire fighting Aggie team
And the famous Aggie Band.

And out in front with Royal Guard
The reviewing party stood;
St. Peter and his angel staff
Were choosing bad from good.

First he surveyed the Aggie team
And in terms of an angel swore,
"By Jove, I do believe I've seen
This gallant group before.

I've seen them play since way back when,
And they've always had the grit;
I've seen 'em lose and I've seen 'em win
But I've never seen 'em quit.

No need for us to tarry here
Deciding upon their fates;
Tis plain as the halo on my head
That they've opened Heaven's gates."

And when the Twelfth Man heard this,
They let out a mighty yell
That echoed clear to Heaven
And shook the gates of Hell.

"And what group is this upon the side,"
St. Peter asked his aide,
"That swelled as if to burst with pride
When we our judgment made?"

"Why, sir, that's the Cadet Corps
That's known both far and wide
For backing up their fighting team
Whether they won lost or tied."

"Well, then," said St. Peter,
"It's very plain to me
That within the realms of Heaven
They should spend eternity.

And have the Texas Aggie Band
At once commence to play
For their fates too we must decide
Upon this crucial day."

And the drum major so hearing
Slowly raised his hand
And said, "Boys, let's play The Spirit
For the last time in Aggieland."

And the band poured forth the anthem,
In notes both bright and clear
And ten thousand Aggie voices
Sang the song they hold so dear.

And when the band had finished,
St. Peter wiped his eyes
And said, "It's not so hard to see
They're meant for Paradise."

And the colonel of the Cadet Corps said
As he stiffly took his stand,
"It's just another Corps Trip, boys,
We'll march in behind the band."


Brown Pot '06
HHH Hall - Hell Pot
R.I.P. Hotard

I was always informed as a student that it was Bad Bull for a non-red (grey?) to recite or print "The Last Corps Trip."

Those with On-Campus Bonfire experience, was this some pissheads giving me s--t or did you know this to be true?

quote:

---

(by Bruce Smith, Davis Gary class of '88, but usually listed as by "Anonymous" )

---

Thinking of a certain Grode Yell. If it rhymes, it must be poetry, right?

[This message has been edited by daniel02 (edited 3/1/2006 10:58a).]

Kind of stupid to restrict people from reciting the last corps trip, in my opinion.

Yes, it is rather stupid to restrict people to posting The Last Corp Trip...It is a very big part to bonfire.

"Assembled on the drill field
Was the world-renowned Twelfth Man,"






[This message has been edited by TooTall 06 (edited 3/1/2006 5:41p).]

ttt

quote:

---

I don't know if there will be an Aggie Bonfire next year,

Or if there will be one the year after that.

Bonfire '98 may go down in the books as the last one at Aggieland,

And I would understand.

Should it be decided that Bonfire is a tradition that shall be no more,

If the experts determine that the risks are too great for another to be built,

Then I would resign myself to that decision.

I would understand, but not without sadness.

We grieve for the Ags who lost their lives

And for the families and friends who lost their Aggies.

We grieve for all of the promise their lives still held

And the paths down which the Bonfire 12 will never walk.

But what about the Aggies of tomorrow?

What about the Class of 2004 - next year's freshman?

Should there never be another Bonfire,

It is for them that I would feel sadness added to my grief.

Their class would be the first not to build a Bonfire.

They'll never know what it all means.

They won't know what it's like to wake up to the sound of ax handles on trash can lids.

They won't know how early the upperclassmen start in with all that banging in the halls.

They won't have any reason to cram into the back of a pickup with ten other freshmen

And ride for thirty minutes out into the woods in the pre-dawn chill of a fall morning.

They won't know that a hard hat is a pot,

Or what it means if a pot is red, brown, or yellow.

They won't know the pride a dorm feels to earn pots in its first year in existence.

(Way to go Lechnerds! WHOOP!!)

They won't have any reason to get a pot of their own

And personalize it for the months ahead.

They won't know what virgin stripes are, what grodes are,

Or the smell that all well-worn grodes get.

They won't know that the Corps builds the hell out of Bonfire,

That non-regs build the hell out of Bonfire,

That Northside builds the hell out of Bonfire,

That Walton loads the hell out of Bonfire.

They won't know what it's like to spend an entire Saturday at cut,

Hearing Whoops travel through the woods along with the Aggie football game updates.

They won't know the work it takes to cut all of that wood by swinging axes,

Or how many people it takes to get a dorm log out of the woods and onto the truck.

They won't know what it's like to fall asleep in the shower after a day at cut,

Or how badly shampoo stings the blisters on raw, aching hands.

They won't know how hard it is to get out of bed on Sunday

And cut all day again.

They won't know about Bonfire yell practices in the Grove.

They'll never hear the Yell Leaders cry, "Fightin' Texas Aggie Bon-Fie-YER!"

They won't know the excitement of watching Center Pole arrive,

Of watching it go up.

They won't know what it's like to walk up to stack for the late night shift

And see Bonfire flooded in light with its flag waving in the night sky.

They won't walk to Duncan Field or the Polo Fields in between classes

Just to see how stack is coming along.

They won't know what it's like to sit though a biology lecture

Trying to stay awake (or at least trying not to snore too loudly) after a night at stack.

And they won't know how stack and classes seem to need the most attention

During the same part of the semester.

They won't know the anticipation of Bonfire night

Or the experience of seeing their freshman Bonfire burn.

They won't visit the smoldering pile the next day just to see it one more time.

And four years later, they will not have a Bonfire for Elephant Walk.

I don't know if there will be an Aggie Bonfire next year,

Or if there will be one the year after that.

I do know that I am richer for the experiences Bonfire gave me.

I hope that tomorrow's Aggies have some way to build Bonfire memories of their own.

Lindy K. (Sparks) Stoll '93

---

bump

1922 was the year it began.
E. King Gill - the first 12th Man.
He started a tradition that's still alive today.
It is why the Aggies stand on football game day.

We are the 12th Man and we are proud.
But next Friday morning we won't be as loud.
We've lost 12 members of this group
In their efforts to fill E. King Gill's boots.

Some say this game won't mean that much
And wonder if it should be played.
But don't tell that story
To the Ags who died today.

It means something to those
Who now are up in heaven.
Why else would they be there?
Awake way before 7:00...

So strike up the band
For the Spirit of Aggieland.
And win this one
for what is the 12th Man.

-David Babb '96

"They had a job to do, and no one did it better. They were the 12th Man. They were Texas A&M. They became a legend."

ttt

ttt

After The Last Corps Trip
by Kathryn Holmes Smith

And the colonel of the Cadet Corps said,
As he stiffly took his stand,
"It's just another Corps Trip, boys
We'll march in behind the band."

Then heaven's pearly portals opened,
Hosts of Angels showed the way,
For that Fighting Texas Aggie group
On that final Judgment Day.

When more Aggies came in view.
Twelve dressed in Bonfire gear
Walking arm and arm, and singing
Of the School they hold so dear.

Twelve Aggie voices said "Howdy"
To the keepers of the Gate.
"Working hard we just lost track of time,
We hope we're not too late."

"It's the Fighting Aggie Bonfire Crew,"
St. Peter said, ‘Behold."
They're ready to light up Heaven,
With their courage and faith so bold".

"I would often watch them building,
That Stack so large and high,
And surely knew the time would come
They would build it in the sky."

And so the twelve came through the Gates,
St. Peter said, "Don't fear,
You are just in time for Roll Call"
One by one, they answered. . . ‘Here.'



Christopher D. Breen "Here"
Jerry Don Self "Here"
Michael Steven Ebanks "Here"
Jeremy Richard Frampton "Here"
Lucas John Kimmel "Here"
Christopher Lee Heard "Here"
Brian Allen McClain "Here"
Jamie Lynn Hand "Here"
Nathan Scott West "Here"
Chad Anthony Powell "Here"
Miranda Denise Adams "Here"
Timothy Doran Kerlee, Jr. "Here"