Lantern Poem by Eric Cockrell

he lit his lantern and
walked out on the porch,
with his old dog
by his side....

he could see the wind
walking through the trees,
wrapped in the stillness
and comfort of darkness...

how long had it been?
25 cents a gallon gasoline,
Marlboros,25 cents a pack!
working all week for 55 dollars....

sawmills, factories, milking cows,
a hoe and a gallon jar of water.
hanging the gears on his old truck...
cold beer, making love all night....

civil unrest and high ideals,
bulletproof, with a taste for danger.
then the children came... working
more for less... till he became invisible....

and the world careened into madness,
enough was never enough....
and all his dreams fell to dust.....
the wings of the eagle rusted.

standing alone, with his dog,
peering into the night....
listening to whispering ghosts....
listening... for the voice of love....

for the sound of his
own heart beating!