breath held
for a year
waiting word
scouring news
longing to hear
anything
whispers of your safety
mentions of your name
your surprise return
caught me unguarded
whirlwind spin
of relief
euphoric elation
hands tremble
in anticipation
of seeing your face
once again
your existence
still unreal
a figment
dream come true
until I touch you
once again
home soiled
beyond enemy lines
(c) 2008 by MCL
Travis was a "friend" of mine that went to war in Iraq when the shit hit the fan the first time. He came home, but he never really came back. The horrors that he saw over there... The horrors he had to perform... It changed him in ways that none of us could ever touch. I don't know that any of us would ever be able to touch him again. Not like before. The boy we knew when he left Ft. Hood that day is lost to us. As Thomas Wolfe said, "The golden boy is lost forever and can never return again." Such a shame.... He was a great guy.
