Did It Matter
grow the child
grow the mind
learn lessons
before the sword
learn more about
hearts and minds
water and fire
flowing receding
adrenaline rhythms
noise and silence
coming going
bad good dreams
beware the sword
veterans
blessed or cursed
find their destiny
out of war lessons
that matter
No Winners No Losers (Nam Recalled)
it is probably harsh
to say life is a war
Darwin or Jesus aside
survival relates to spectrums
great instincts or experience
maybe just luck of the draw
volunteer or draftee
we went where we were sent
saw what we saw
did what we did
shared and cared
every one every where
survivors this day
reflect good and bad
can’t undo what happened
then now or tomorrow
we’re left our ever twilight
bits and pieces of dreams
when all
is said and done
White Cliffs Sing Dover Winds, 1968
I stand upon these high
tower stones looking
south towards Calais
thinking north
Canterbury Cathedral
as white gray gulls
oversee my presence
Nam was a year ago
I muse
Caesar’s two invasions
Dover Castle’s history
its many chambers
winding steep stairs
pageantry ramparts
scenes of confusion
times for decision
Nam was a year ago
erosion construction
white cliffs recede
into a song of sorrow
I stand upon these stones
smell sea weeds
see white caps
hear surging crashing waves
sense more coming
fogs and channels of history
Nam was a year ago
ferocious salt winds
paint my face
and guide the wings
high flying
screeching gulls
Richard Eric Johnson lives and writes poetry in Arlington, Virginia. He has authored five full-length poetry collections and his poetry has appeared in numerous online and print journals. Eric is also a Pushcart nominee. He most recently was honored to be archived at La Salle University’s Connelly Library. He is a graduate of Indiana University with a B.A. in Germanic Languages and an M.S. in Education. After a tour in Viet Nam and West Berlin, he embarked on a career as a public servant and is now very happily retired.
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