‘He could not weep’

He could not weep

 

A pint of beer, dancing the Texas two-step with the pretty Tijuana girl in a tavern on the Mexican border.

 

Final Chapel for a man who accepted life as as-is. He told the kids now. A silent stand leave you wishing you stood for something. You believed in something.

 

Begot wishes become heavy burdens and forgotten dreams. Men who lived a tamed life. Believed in the government that send young men go to war. Teach them murder and death before love. They learn. Life is meaningless and the value of life mean little to a government ran by lawyers and big business.

 

Today the old soldier cannot weep. He remembered the 5000 Iraqis soldiers frozen and forgotten. He remember finding dead bodies in Africa and burning them. Not I.D and forgotten.

 

The pretty Tijuana girls whispered. All of us are led to hell and back by fools and liars. Johnnie, you ain’t dead yet. Please dark poet. Write down the dirtiness. Bring the dirt to light. A silent life accepting the lies without a fight. Leave you alone with a pint of beer and needing little.

 

I told her. Honey, dear and sweetheart. When you saw the darkness of life. Hard to see the light of hope. I have known killers and tyrants. They saw profit and flesh to use and sell. After a soft heart saw the war dead, lost too many friends to war and saw starvation. And he didn’t do a worthwhile thing. No more tears, no more weeping can be found.

 

In a tavern in Tijuana. A dark eyes beauty told the soldier. Love is life and life is love. Please forget the bad things or you will die alone.

John Castellenas/Coyote