Echos

A non-fiction poem about a young man who lost his life all too soon.

An unmarked stone lies vacant just on the outside of town,

Where a young man was slain just when he was homeward bound.

No one could identify him, they just laid him in the grave

Near the old water tower, just along Bryar Way.

He was his fathers son, a rebel child that broke his mothers heart;

He lost himself along the way, though they gave him a good start.

He seemed to drift so aimlessly, as if he didn’t have a home;

In his heart he always questioned if he ever would belong.

Then he met a young girl, one cool Autumn night,

Memorized by her glow beneath the pale moonlight.

Just a month down the road he promised her forever,

Not knowing that his life would be but just a vapor.

The girl had an old boyfriend on the other side of town,

Blinded by pain and hate of a girl who let him down.

He tried to make amends, but she told him not to come around.

He had no idea about her lover, and all that was going down.

The two lovers were inseparable, and the boy was no longer alone;

For once in his life he felt for sure he wasn’t really on his own.

One day he had the idea to take her in to town;

They would have fun no matter what they heard about the rumors going around.

Some said her old boyfriend came into town just looking for a fight,

But as far as the lovers were concerned, troubles were out of sight.

Just near the corner store as the two passed by,

The ex was waiting in the alleyway, a firm grip on his 9.

Shots rang out in the streets, and the boy fell to his knees

While the girl ran away in fright, where all could hear her scream.

Sometimes when the moon is bright she comes to the vacant stone

And mourns for the one she loved, the drifter without a home.

Sometimes when all is quiet she hears his voice in the night;

She blames herself for all that happened, knowing it would never seem right.

One of these days she’ll find forgiveness among the road she’s on,

But his ghost still walks those same streets trying to find his home.

Reviews

[Hoosier Belle]

two words "Simply Awesome!" love the part where 9 shots rang out in the streets. This is wonderful and powerful.