At the Vlw

Sarah, her two kids in tow walks in a second-hand shop for only a second, since she turned her pocket inside-out yesterday for a large box of rice crispies and a half-gallon of 2% milk. Her old man stopped beating her three months ago, 'cause Social Services was on him but she ain't seen him or any of his paycheck in about nine weeks She heard he'd gone to Idaho. Their daughter, Rachel's been skippin' school with other kids - Sarah knows, but doesn't say anything Jason's hanging near the dumpster out back, his kinda short-lease home since he got let outta prison for a possession charge that he definitely was guilty of, but he's been clean for three weeks now - almost Raul's been running the dishwasher and cleaning up in the bathroom at the fast-fried chicken place, for three years now without taking a sick day, although that cough has been hard to hack for two weeks now. He hopes the steam from the washer will kill whatever's in his lungs Soon Kie shows her green card to anyone to admire. She has for the last thirty-four years, but since she arrived back in '80, when she already had seen more war and death then most actual soldiers, she still can't read above a third grade level She's too busy cleanin' rich houses and doin' late-night business park office spaces. Once in awhile, they meet up in twosie's, maybe more, down at the park, near the whitewashed howitzer from WW II government surplus These are the Veterans of Local Wars Sloggin' the towns trenches, listenin' to the deafening blows of indifference, marching every time they're told to "Get up 'n' move on, no sleepin' here" Life is daily skirmishes, the occasional battle, sometimes being soldiers, sometimes the innocent citizen victims, cut down, strung up, strung out, frozen out, sometimes cryin' out 'most every day, wonderin' what life's all about to have treated 'em this way Still, sometimes, when they see each other, they can smile, talk about that time awhile back, sayin' "did you see what that crazy bastard did!" laughing at the incongruities and the ironies. Don't have no medals, don't need no parades. - just keep movin' © Goode Guy 2013-05-03