40 Years From Now

[Zomby Woof]

He doesn't talk about the war
When he was a young man
With promise
On the other side of the world
Between two rivers

A solemn nurse
Wheels him through
The courtyard
Where card games
Dominoes and
Checkers commence

He got a card for his birthday
With love from his grandkids
The soft scrawl of
Happy children
Postmarked from far away
On the other side
Of the river

It's not a source
Of pride
Those medals
Tucked carelessly
In a shoebox
With letters, photos
And mementoes of
Decades long ago

He means to call his
Daughter and to
Tell her he
Loves her
And that maybe one day
He can tell
Those happy grandchildren
About the war long ago
In a place between two rivers

Emails are frequent
Updates all the same
He puts on the oxygen mask
The nerve damage is slight
And there are scars
In his head which will
Never heal
He feels he owes
It to the the future
To our grandkids

Perhaps a letter
To let it all come out
Explain he is sorry
He cannot go on
The pills do not stop
The tremors
Sleep never comes
Tears never stop
Sweating in the night
He cannot look in the
Mirror when he shaves

He picks up the pen
To Write, like his Dad
Did to his Mom
When he was a young man
In a place called
Vietnam, between
The river and the sea
His hand trembles
And the pen falls
To the floor
Rolls under the bed
Next to the box of medals

His hand trembles,
And the pen falls away...


ZW January 11, 2005


For Scott

[ornotna]

1. I don't know what to say

Bravo, well done.

[Amaya]

2. Thank you,

ZW

[shugah]

3. aw ZombyWoof

another tear to brush away... but thank you.

[Zomby Woof]

4. .

[Mandate My Ass]

5. kef kick

[buddhamama]

6. ....

I am in tears, again.

very moving, ZW. thank you.

[gollygee]

7. That's beautiful

You are very talented.

[Terran]

8. Oh man...

He tried so hard. Damn damn damn

Thanks for this ZW, very good.

Dirk

[Guns Aximbo]

9. my children

40 years from now my children will be appologizing to the world for what Bush did. Just as the Grandchildren angreat grandchildren of germany are doing today for hitler.