Rainy Days

by Amando Alvarez

I stare out the window,

And see a wake,

Never foreward past the bow.

Dog asleep by the fire, carefree.

Tired, oblivious to me.

And I sit and listen,

Worn and tired,

To the same old songs

Of long ago, by the fire.

I see the beach in Vietnam,

Shells that pierced the day.

War days filled with fright,

Fires flaming in the night.

And endless dusty rows

Of farms in Idaho…

Wonder where I’ve been,

Where I’ve gone.

What I’ve seen.

Was it worth the sacrifice?

What accomplished,

At what price?

Back I limp again;

I raise my book,

To where I’d been.

But my mind struggles;

From pages to the window,

To the pouring rain

And misty fog again.

And cold days of the present

Confuse my past now spent.

And I keep thinking,

Wondering where it’s gone.

Where my friends from Vietnam?

Thinking, forever thinking.

Dog fidgety and still sleeping.

And the noise of nature

On the roof, splitter splattering.

Cold, ever so cold,

No one here,

No one there.

Back to the couch again;

I raise my book once more.

Once more I try;

Try as try I can;

But the never-ending why’s

Put me in a trance

With fading, fading sighs.

And sleep takes hold;

I close my eyes.

Back to nature,

To the wake,

To good times past

Of better days,

Gone so fast.

Cold, cold, as night takes hold….

Copyright 2002, Amando Alvarez, All Rights Reserved

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