The Mirror of Me (August 3,2019 - May 16,2021)
As I stood in front of a mirror
I see my son looking back
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Friday, October 18,2013; revised October 23,2013
A Woodpecker Drumming
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Dawn's Road
Surrounded by dense green this cool predawn morn
A slight mist in the air
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This poem is from an incident that occurred in Saigon in 1966. It was painful to watch happening realtime and there was naught I, or the driver, could do to prevent it.
Yes, this incident still haunts me to this day even though I've tried everything to come to grips with what happened that sultry warm afternoon. I wrote a backstop to this poem that is far too long to accompany this poem. The backstop adds far more context to the why and how it happened, including the aftermath of hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of Vietnamese boiling out of their shanties, tin shacks, ramshackle huts with all sorts of weapons in their hands, sticks, butcher knives, anything the angry Vietnamese could pick up as they attacked our truck, and how fast everything happened in the aftermath of this tragic accident. If this Vietnamese military police would not have arrived when they did, I would not be here today to post this poem.
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September 10,2017 - June 17,2018
H&I* in My Mind (*Harassment & Interdiction: Artillery firing on known spots where VC would be passing through)
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Saturday, June 13,2015; Revised October 15,2015
The Second Chance Pin
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I've had to opportunity to live in Multiple countries (Taiwan, England (twice) , France, Germany (Bavaria and Berlin) , Thailand, Okinawa, France, and Viet Nam over the years. Living for extended periods in my travels over my life allowed me to observe how citizens of different cultures, their societies, history, and their worldviews different from my own culture. Living abroad allowed me a different perspective from my own experiences vis-vis to those who never traveled outside of their cultures. I've often thought if every citizen of every country had the opportunity to spend two to three years living abroad, would not these exposures allow the world, the environment, a better place to live for all citizens? Surely it would! Tommy)
I Am A Viet Nam Veteran With Ptsd
June 25,2018
Conflict Within
Restless sleep, though a long sleep
Drifting dreams, wars, faceless men
Grey skies, no trees, White Roses, silent eyes and soundless screams
My mind cannot rest as I toss and turn
Whilst the second hand ticks relentlessly
Onward, Onward, Onward
A distant horizon of hope never reached as muck drags me down
No mercy, no end, no way out
Countless faces passing that never go away
An orange sky on fire
Burning smoke in my lungs, my eyes
No relief
Within a 3D hell
Horror everywhere I Look Sense, Touch, Feel
Within, Without
Acid rain burns my skin
As I stand forlorn within
The horror of empty landscapes
Peace unknown
Desperately needed
Serenity an eternity away
Death surrounds me
Without relief
No matter how I strive
Children's eyes empty
As they desperately hold out their hands in hopes
Of alms never offered
And slowly fade away
Leaving me alone disconsolate
Standing upon a desolate canvas
Devoid of color, of life itself
Peace an empty precept
Offering no solace, no hope
Only desperation in a harsh desperate world
Where life has no meaning
No comfort from memory's arms
Yet offers no end
As I cry a soundless cry
For a friend
Anyone to offer an hand
A way out of this merciless Hell
Yet, steadfastly refusing
Christ's offered hand as he smiles in anticipation
Suddenly confused
As I turn away
Leaving Him gazing upon a fractured world
Prayers frantically offered
With no hopes of relief
To a God whose empathy unknown
No understanding, no Soul
And I know instinctively
We are the change
As we each look away
From the Hell we've made
Smug in our satisfaction
As each thinks complacency
It is not my doing
As Humanity slowly slides inexorably
Towards a looming abyss
A chasm with no way out
Tommy