Vietnam Vets

They were my sweet young friends,
fighting for naught…
Carrion with beating hearts,
pleading with God…
Loving their sweethearts,
missing their moms…
Some from suburbia,
some from our farms…
They died in rice paddies,
away, far from home…
For none would admit
that this war was wrong…
Some stand in street corners now,
holding up signs…
"Veteran will work for food."
We can't be unkind…
We hand over five dollars
and then drive away…
We have done our duty
on this beautiful day…
But demons await
my vets at the bar…
Pestering deep, open wounds,
earned in the war…
They jeer at depression,
gouge at eyes with no tears…
They refuse to be conquered,
or to drown in their beers…
Yes, some of my Vietnam vets,
who dared to survive,
must forever be punished for being alive…

BARBAS DE ORO

"On hottest days,"
My father said,
"You have a friend,
Named Barbas de Oro.
If you call his name
With respect and faith,
He will bless you with His grace."
The migrant fields exude their heat
Mocking my poverty
Challenging the myth
Hot, salty tears fill my soul
Then hastily exit my body's pores
A vicious sun will castigate
This weed that bends, but will not break
Not sun nor mankind shall beat me down
"Barbas de Oro!" I cry, without a sound
And then He comes...
Softly and gently, caressing my skin
Oscillating my soul with gossamer wings
He hums in my ear, a tender, sweet tune
I turn towards Him, but I'm all alone
Such goes my life in the migrant field
But I’ll never surrender; I will never yield...

Living In A Modem World

In wee hours they arrive:
Lonely souls before my eyes;
Foul minds seeking satisfaction;
Bleeding hearts want my reaction
Creeps and Angels on my screen
Scratch and plead to be let in
Complicated lives abound
In this new land I have found
Honest, vile, sweet, cruel and kind
Sweaty fingertips quiz my mind
They want to stop and chat a while
Some make me cry, most make me smile
We wander, lost, through cyber space
Seeking a way out of our maze
No reality bumps our world
Old are young and shy are bold
Eyes set deep in pasty skin
Peer with hope at the moving screen
Our world is one big happy place
Where we're a faceless human race
We stop and chat and have some “fun”
Then hit 'escape' and poof! All gone!
It's never boring, it's never bland
But it’s new and weird, this Modem land…