The Taking Of A Hero's Wife Poem by David Welch

Owen Kucharski found himself inside
of a rather awkward situation,
all because of a women that he saw
every few days for adult ‘recreation.'

Her name was Laura, and he had met her
when they'd both drank too much at a bar,
she was in her mid-thirties, very pretty,
and had said, "My place isn't that far! "

It had been a very impressive night,
and three more times to her house did he go,
then one night a friend whispered to him
that his friends-with-benefits was a widow.

Owen learned Laura's husband had been a cop,
killed in the line-of-duty just last year,
and the he was her way of distracting
herself from the grief and the tears.

He couldn't blame her for wanting a break,
a mind could not always be doom and gloom,
but he was annoyed when her family sneered
that he 'knew the way to her bedroom.'

And it wasn't like it was a serious thing,
they agreed he would not spend the night,
it was just relief for a woman in pain,
a meaningless but needed spot of light.

Besides, he doubted she'd go for him,
he owned a pawn ship on the red-light streets,
totally legit, he always followed the law,
but was still looked down on by society.

The wife of a hero never would deign
to be serious with a man like himself,
so he took what he got, convinced that she
was just using him until she got well.

They had their fun seven more evenings,
and the rumors had started to fly,
it came to a head one warm Friday night
when Laura asked if he could swing by.

He walked brooding, down towards her house,
a stew of problems distracting his mind,
as he drew near he heard loud chanting
and looked up, shocked at what he did find.

Two-dozen protestors stood outside her house,
screaming boatloads of obscenities,
supporting the man who shot her husband,
who was in prison for his sentencing.

They declared that her husband had framed
their ‘hero' because of his dark skin,
they offered no proof, nor seemed to care,
that the criminal had started the thing!

That he had opened fire on the cops
during a drug-deal that had gone wrong,
didn't event enter into their minds
as they sang out their loud protest songs.

The things they screamed at poor Laura
enraged Owen, and made his blood boil,
to harass a widow who'd lost everything…
Was there nothing left they would not spoil?

Owen saw a police car, on the corner,
the two officers keeping it all in sight,
free speech was free speech, they couldn't interfere,
so Owen decided to take up the fight.

"You're all damned fools, harassing this woman,
and you're cause is insultingly dumb!
You think it's ‘justice, ' ruining her day
Ooer a well-known piece of criminal scum!

"This was no child caught in the cross-fire,
Oo a fool kind who pushed his luck too far!
You're defending a drug-dealer, think of that,
of all the lives he damaged and scarred!

"And on top of all of that damn nonsense,
you have the gall to come here to this place?
To terrify the wife your ‘hero' widowed?
You're an utter and absolute disgrace! "

Stunned silence fell across the whole crowd,
taken aback by the boldness he showed,
then came angry shouts, then insults and slurs,
Owen prepared himself for the blows.

But just then the two officers emerged,
and put themselves between him and the crowd.
"Anyone who fights we'll be hauling away!
I'm ordering you all to disperse! Now! "

The crowd grumbled, still in a fighting mood,
but cooled when the cops tapped their Sigs,
they slowly dispersed, growling their rage,
shouting "racist, " and "fascist, " and "pig! "

Owen released a breath he'd been holding,
then went tense when the cop turn to him,
he was an older man, hair fringed with gray,
carved of iron from his forehead to chin.

He said, "I knew Laura's husband, Cliff,
he was an honorable man, and brave.
When rumor said Laura was seeing you,
I though the grief had driven her insane.

"Maybe she'd broken from all the stress,
maybe she was depressed and down on her luck,
but after today...maybe I was wrong,
standing up for her sure took some guts."

He gave a curt nod, then with his partner,
got in his car and drove out of there,
Owen sighed, then nearly leapt from his skin,
seeing Laura standing on her front stairs.

She wore just a housecoat and a soft smile,
and looked at him with eyes he'd never seen,
she said, "I can't say that I expected that,
not from you, and not for little old me.

"I think that you could use your own break,
after all the brave things that you said,
go in and lie down, I'll be there shortly,
I believe you know the way to the bed?

He found himself frozen, taking it in,
what she meant, the sweet look on her face,
then Laura said, "Maybe brunch tomorrow?
I want to show you this fabulous place..."

Owen never worried about the rumors again,
they didn't matter much after that night,
what had been dumb lust became something more
when he laid down with his future wife…