The Boys Of Summer

Written for my friend Charlie and all the other boys of summer.

When it's winter in New England
it's summer in Hanoi
Tires in potholes. Grind the treads.
Milk/ Newspapers/Loaves of bread.

#####DUCK YOUR HEAD#####

In a foxhole
your only goal
is to come out alive... so you die
1000 deaths
in that last breath..... taken.........
before the rubber meets the road
or when you're unflichingly told
to rise UP.

Shoot to kill. SHOOT....
'til metal-hot clouds rise from your feet.
Admit defeat? .Never.

....... Clever......

...how the clouds disperse.
When what could have been worse
happens to the guy who's holding the line
...the one who's going home empty handed this time
when the wife demanded ......he at LEAST
come home in 1 piece.

Don't hand her a triangular flag+Don't tell her he was in a tunnel+
Don't tell her he flushed out a rat, that he went out like that
or that his helmet flipped
Just as a bullet
- - - -ripped- - --
___________________a line
clean through the lobes of his brain.

All that remains ...

When it's winter in New England
and summer in Hanoi
is a sudden loss of traction
a knee jerk reaction
to the 6 o'clock news swearing
A STORM IS COMING!!!!!!!!
and men start running
for milk & bread
while the sky over head
S P L/ I T S/
into 2
so that me & you
can make toast and hot chocolate
while glaring red rockets
burn holes through the whites of their eyes
(as they look to the sky)...

Wishing
that snow...... (That most dangerous foe).....
Would fall to the ground
Would fall all around
White it all out
Shut it all down
A state of emergency
The first of its kind
While the last loaf of bread
lies broken among us
Its crumbs tossed on an east-blowing wind
. .. .. ....
.
.
..
.

To fall among them.

To guide them home again.

Reviews

[Butch Decatoria]

You have beautiful brush strokes with your poetic description, your imagery and soul are both warm and vividly colorful. Love this.

[Paul McCall]

Wow! You got me thinking, in my story, “Heading Home 1968” when I left Viet Nam it was December but it was hot like summer and four days later I arrived home in a snow storm!

[Samuel Dickens]

Excellent. You have a novel and effective way with words. Yeah, I remember that war. Seems I have a couple of medals from it. Some of my old school buddies earned more, but they never got to wear them.

[Muse]

Wishing
that snow...... (That most dangerous foe).....
Would fall to the ground
Would fall all around
White it all out
Shut it all down

I loved that part...and the closing with the breadcrumbs was clever.

Boys of summer..that title alone makes me think about all that we take for granted during this time of year. Unlike "us" these boys don't get a summer vacation.

Beautifully penned.

[LJW]

Thank you so much. I wrote this for Vietnam veteran friend of mine. I attended on taking it down as soon as he read it. we live in New England and consider a typical New England storm a war zone. Lol.

[roarke]

Pure Passion.

You know, war is not a boy's construction. It's a fearful, discontented, rich and powerful man's game.

I liked the way you wrote this, no propaganda, no agenda, just the way it is and you pray.
bravo