Back Tracking

Back-Tracking

Conspicuous yearning for things of the past
mourning the loss of your dreams
wishing you’d done any number of things
not ever allowed, so it seems

recalling a ride in a forty-eight Dodge
that ended in blood laced with pain
hearing a humming noise deep in your head
and fearing the worst for your brain

Cowboys and Indians played with a friend
kissing a girl on the cheek
night-crawler picking on newly-wet lawns
bait for shy trout in the creek

hunting alone at the age of thirteen
bringing home rabbit to fry
walking a graveyard to conquer your fear
of spirits and demons that fly

taking a beating from bullies at school
and later, from bullies in war
wishing to God you were stronger and brave
while bleeding in shame on some floor

these are the omens that herald the end
of a life nearly wasted by youth
but writing them down in the lines of a poem
preserves their innocuous truth

C. Lon R. Bruso