Sin, whiskey and Lake St. Clair..

40 days without writing. I need to make time to write.

Sin, whiskey and Lake St. Clair..

1- I told my lovely Detroit gal,

I need kisses tonight.

I am leaving tomorrow for a far away war.

I need to remember my beautiful Detroit girl is waiting for me.

I need to remember your face,

I need to remember every kiss.

2- Me and my dear love, we went to Lake St. Clair.

Was my final night with her for a time.

I told her, I need the memory of Lake St. Clair and your beautiful face.

I requested a slow dance where Clinton River and the lake met.

She took my hands and she told me.

We will dance and we will pray to Saint Clare for you to return to me.

The Patron Saint will keep you safe.

We will find the Lake St. Clair when you return and

we will dance till we cannot.

I told her. Please don’t forget me.

I will remember your gentle voice,

I will remember your soft kisses

and when I return.

We shall get marry and have a boy and a girl child.

And I won’t leave you again.

3- Tonight I drink the Jack Daniel whiskey alone near Lake St. Clair.

Somehow I lost track of time. 15 years have came and gone.

I left a true love where Clinton River meet the Lake St. Clair so long ago.

I left a boy of eighteen and now I became a old man with with a ugly face.

I remember my true love, told me.

Dear John. Quit the Army and come home to me.

I came home and I went to her new home six years later.

She had two children and she was dancing with them.

I left her be.

I fell in love with the sin, I fell in love with the whiskey.

The war song stole my kindness and I forgot love.

Tonight I pray to the Lake St. Clair.

Dear Saint Clare of Assisi.

Thank you for the warm day, Thank you for the beautiful Lake St. Clair.

Please keep me safe, please forgive me for what I had to do.

Tonight the old soldier had the sin, the whiskey and the Lake St. Clair.

Coyote

Author's Note

Do we release words to remember? Or do we write words to forget.

Reviews

[John the Baptist]

A heavy tale, this one, C. How many men, I wonder, have been plucked from the arms of happiness by the drums of war? And yet we cannot know how the marriage may have gone had it been consummated. We just have to deal with life as best we can in the moment. Good stuff here.

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you my friend for reading and the comment. In life. We can learn joy or sadness. If we are lucky. We shall know more joy.

[Pryde Foltz]

It is these wonderful memories we can reopen like an aged wine and enjoy whenever we want. My heart goes out to this soldier separated from his love by time and circumstance. Beautiful write:)100

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you dear Pryde for reading and the comment. Too many men and women had died for the price of war.

[Pryde Foltz]

I wholeheartedly agree. May there be peace on Earth.

[Writergurl]

This is amazing, kind of emotional as well... I love that song to boot.

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you dear friend. I love the song too. A old one. The voices are so beautiful.

[Marie]

A very sad, heart-rending write, dear Coyote. You gave up so much to give freedom to people trapped in war. Losing your love was a very heavy and personal loss and I can so understand you wanting to drown your sorrows in 'the hard stuff', dear friend. I feel it is so easy to 'get lost' in the middle of a war which you don't have a guarantee of getting out of alive and for the sake of people being free once more you throw yourself fully into setting them free again. Freedom is not free, dear Coyote. It comes with a very high price, so many soldiers never returned to their loved ones again, so many tears are shed during wartime, it is very sad. I pray that later in life your found true love, great joy and divine happiness, my friend. Nobody deserves them more than you. THANK YOU! for all you did during wartimes, for giving your whole self and devoting your time to those who so needed it. Thank you also for writing and sharing your WONDERFUL poetry and stories. I love to read them when time permits me. Sending you brightest Blessings, dear Coyote...

[Coyote Poetry]

I got lucky dear Marie. I found a good and kind woman at 38 years old. Now four children and five grandchildren. I appreciate the comment dear friend.

[Marie]

Thank you for sharing this wonderful good news, dear Coyote. I am so happy to read it. Wishing you both the very best of everything possible, with ever possible good wish, dear friend...

[Thomas W Case]

Powerful work. You nailed it.

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you Thomas. I appreciate the comment.

[Fran Marie]

A love lost to the throes of wartime
albeit sad this is beautifully written
with deep emotions spilling forth
with lovely memories of what was ..
in bye gone years...
Well done dear friend

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you dear Fran for reading and the comment. I hope you are doing well and enjoying the days of October.

[Tumi]

Your poem is a hauntingly beautiful, nostalgic, and regret-tinged narrative that explores love, loss, and the ravages of war.
your poem is great, you are a great writer to be honest

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you tumi for the kind words. I do appreciate.

[red93]

So precious these beautiful memories Coyote - when you are going away to War, everything must be in sharper relief. Exceptional ✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️

[Coyote Poetry]

You are right my friend. You appreciate the simple things more. Thank you for reading and the comment.