VETERANS DAY 2008 - A POEM

MOTHER AND SON - FROM ONE WAR TO THE NEXT

The stories told in staring eyes,
monotoned during daylight, and
screamed through haunted darkness,
bespoke unimaginable horror.

The anguish inflicted on my generation
warned of a military madness
that feeds upon the newborn.
I bore fear along with my child

Even as my womb cradled and nurtured,
I knew one day they would come.
Drawn by youth, thirsting fresh blood,
they'd come for you those Vampires of War.

Joyful colors clothed your childhood.
Your favorite: purple.
Never the small-sized uniforms that foreshadow dark future.
Cammies aren't meant for kids.

No guns for my son!
No ominous plastic noise makers
pressed to imitate authoritarian threat!
So you pretended sticks into rifles.

Mother songs lullabied hope and peace
while soldiers who'd put down their weapons
and the millions in our streets,
ended the Tonkin-induced war.

Vietnam swept G.I. Joe from toy store shelves.
But the dolly boy resurrected to
trickle down into little boy hands
via Reagan's pipe dream presidency.

You grew while I taught you to value humanity,
to share, to love, to respect.
I showed you how to step into other existences
yet they lurked. Vulture-like. Watching. Waiting,

Ready to stalk when restless and unsure,
You lost your way in school.
Adventure! Money! Manhood! A mere GED away.
You turned your head, and your life.

The truth, with which I'd armed you, once targeted,
was swiftly and effectively neutralized.
You swallowed their bait. They set the hook
and reeled your from my arms.

Fourteen years on, the PTSD hid behind your unfocused stare.
It was your guarded monotone I heard during the day.
And you who faced the dark demons brought by sleepless terror, Alone.
We could not protect you there.

Then you challenged the Vampires of War
by speaking truth to their prey
and turned numerous boys from a war-torn path
your brother among those who walked away.

And now, You've survived the battle within.
Victorious, you win it still every day,
giving each of us who love you
the freedom to finally say...

Welcome Home Son, Welcome Home.

Love you, Mom
November, 2008
___________________________________

I've been working on this poem since September. I began it after the Veterans For Peace Convention while we were visiting family in Michigan. It has taken me two months to complete after many rewrites. I was determined to finish it by Veterans Day because I am sure that it is a story oft repeated.

The story is true and is dedicated to my eldest son, a disabled veteran.

We must replace the Culture of War with a Culture of Peace.

What if they gave a war and nobody came?
KWW

Obama - Something Beautiful Happened

We were nervous - not daring to breathe freely, and definitely afraid to think that we could vote an end to the eight terrible Bush/Cheney years that have taken such a toll on many of us. It was a long November 4th here in California but with the election of Barak Obama to the Presidency, it was well worth the wait.

No one in our small house was able to speak at the moment we realized that Obama was the winner. My stomach was in knots. I fought to process what was happening before my teary eyes when, like the flower in the above photo, the entire world burst into one joyously beautiful bloom.

Yesterday's election of America's first president of color was historic beyond our immediate grasp. I still tear up when I think about the African Americans, who having endured generations of slavery, Jim Crow laws, and voter intimidation, stood in line for hours to elect our nation's first black president. And when I look at the images of the Obama celebrations that took place all over the world, I am overwhelmed by love pouring from our neighbors around the globe.

Barack Obama brings with him a respect and tolerance for others that has not been seen during the neoconservative Bush Administration. He is an intelligent, well educated man who is also a skilled diplomat. The Obama Administration will not be noted for irresponsible, reckless policies for Barack Obama carefully considers what is placed before him, seeks advice as needed, and listens when it is given. I am only sorry that his remarkable grandmother, Toot, did not live to share the events surrounding the election of her grandson to the Presidency of the United States of America with the rest of the world.

We have taken the first step toward PEACE. Let's walk with Obama as we journey toward a Culture of Peace.

.......Kitchen Window Woman.......