I love the magic of setting suns, morning sunrise and you,

My heart cries out more often than our Texas morning dew,

Surprise isn’t a good word when time is involved somehow,

The age in my eyes made me cry when I saw how I look now,

Show me ‘when’ I beg of you, show me when it’s time to hide,

I fear I’ll become “the old man down the road” who suddenly died,

Desert sands never filled my boots so I’m not worth a thank you,

Let me tell you a story of truth, confusion, and what war can do,

I have a chain of love that runs from first glance to last dance,

You didn’t know me but I knew you so I finally took a chance,

My chain of love is real with steel links that has new link each day,

I’ve clung to that chain that bound me to you some magical way,

Kisses from beautiful lips in sixty eight put a spell upon my chain,

Memories seen through my eye and translated by my heart remain,

Following orders from the draft board sent me away but I had a way,

Not all survived the first round of fire on the riverboat that sad day,

And a sailor cried tears of anguish as he stacked corpses to ship,

It was I that cried with guilt for not firing sooner on my first trip,

Guilt and fear are two ribbons of red my captain said I’d soon wear,

He seldom rode along but he witnessed it all because he was there,

The chain I cling to was covered in red along with anguish and tears,

Without that chain I would not have the courage to face my fears,

I remember that night so very well as I stared into space I saw you,

Bound to you by the magical love links it was you that got me through,

Some days my chain grows two links or more especially during war,

Thank God I’ve never endured the day when my chain had four,

That night of my first day or baptism by wars burning fire I sadly cried,

Among the bodies that sailor stacked it was found the Captain died,

There are times when hardship shakes us so hard we must step back,

I speak of myself in the third person especially when under attack,

And I cling to my chain with magic links that takes me home to you,

A tender kiss from your sweet lips is often all I need to get through,

Soon I was sent to train elsewhere as I they found I had inner strength,

It was unknown to me these things they found in me to go the length,

My chain grew strong each day as I endured no word from home or you,

A nickname came of a question, “No Mail Pat” it made me especially blue,

With excitement and joy I prepared myself for my first leave back home,

I felt as if I had returned to a ghost town, I found no one I had known,

My chain grew weak I must say and I was so weary upon my return,

Returning to base was difficult but my chain I was about to earn,

America was proud three days after my return we landed on the moon,

The things I knew of Russia back then it came not a moment too soon,

Our base was secret but it was obvious our ears were on those men,

Where I was stationed was one of the better dry docks I could’ve been,

I remember praying so hard that something would return me to you,

At that time I was desperately lonely and unsure of what to do,

My chain seemed to be suddenly so heavy it was almost to much,

Carelessness on my part brought internment far from your touch,

Was I exhausted after running for days or was I from the start,

The chain once strong was heavy and I seemed to have lost heart,

Heart is of love or heart is that inner strength I was once told I had,

But during this time my heart felt no strength, it felt horribly sad,

The strength of my chain would be tried for three weeks strong,

I was challenged to the cliffs of despair as I endured each wrong,

I reached hard for my chain as I hung from despairs last thread,

To release my grasp would be certain doom but I was survival bred,

Within my heart I searched in hopes of my strongest link of chain,

Was it a dying whisper of love or a shameful weakness I cry her name,

Before my eyes she was there and she kissed my battered lip so kind,

Hallucinations brought from torture are a gift for those with a lonely mind,

And I was lonely, I had reached the lowest point I hope I’ll ever know,

From my rectum I found the foil wrapped photo of my angel in stow,

Had I lived another minute of those one thousand four hundred forty,

I’d have added links numbering four that day of my worst misery,

Three links of chain somehow linked to the shackles of rust I wore,

Rusted shackles with caked blood of brotherhood stained me to the core,

As strange as it sounds I take pride in these rust stained ankles of mine,

Tattooed anklets as well as etched memories deep within my confine,

Once I held my chain dear as I knew my chain began with you for away,

My shivering flesh though exposed felt warmth as your glow came my way,

I felt your warm breath near my cheek and it opened a floodgate of tears,

Then I realized my covers were but dried blood and caked feces smears,

Shame crept through my prone self as my self worth escaped me again,

To be sodomized is in itself a stain upon my id but last they left the brush in,

A wire brush for scrapping rust was the ultimate insult pushed inside,

If ever I had dignity, on this night every ounce I ever had must have died,

And I cried in shame and disgust writhing in pain while they looked on,

I must escape these tormented memories that I once thought were gone,

To be lost is the greatest fear I have as I always want to be found,

Because of you I found the strength to walk and not make a sound,

Although my heart pained for you I felt but for my chain you were lost,

If this didn’t kill me then love would surely weaken my heart to frost,

A cold heart turns trained men to become killers that are often sought,

To keep a flicker alive I’d trace your face each day so you weren’t forgot,

Released across the international peace zone one must walk across,

If unable you wait until able but I found my chain had become my cross,

Was I too dependent upon my link to you or would I have made it through,

Yet it felt so good to link to you but where are you, I fear I’ve lost you,

Disgust at my form and filth was heard from the nurses on staff,

“I may vomit,” she screamed aloud, “he’s disgusting” was her last gaff,

My chain to you found its weakest link that day of my return to us,

But somewhere was found the kindest act that made the day a plus,

I screamed aloud for my socks yet they stripped them from my feet,

But days later as bandaged eyes were uncovered an image of you complete,

A frame of gold around the photo I had worn inside came from kindness,

My chain was made of gold that day a nurse found your photo in my socks mess,

America’s soil felt so good to touch but poison filled the air with sound,

The chants I heard broke my heart and medics quickly gathered around,

More danger came from rocks thrown and bitterness filled my heart,

America suddenly hated her warriors although we did our part,

My last trip home had avoided big cities returning to my home town,

I thought what I had seen while home was isolated but it’s all around,

Now my mind understood why I was jumped while I was home on leave,

My chain is stretched and heavy perhaps while I heal I can have a reprieve,

Each day for over a year my link to you has been pulled and tested,

When I reported what happened to me not a person was arrested,

A police report made the paper but that’s about all that was done,

I found three of those men and had my day with all but for one,

For two months more I healed and prayed they would send me home,

My honorable discharge came, it was one of the happiest days I’ve known,

Protestors glare was everywhere and their chants were sadly heard,

Amputees read their awful signs but going “home” was our only word,

Sadness filled my heart to leave the camaraderie warriors know,

Non of the men in that hospital had done anything wrong for show,

Most were teenage draftees from farms and small towns abound,

Of the drafted not many big city boys in ratio to farmers were found,   

That’s not to slight those men because hero’s came from every city,

It seemed the death toll ratio was heavy from the Midwest, such a pity,

Death can’t be fairly dealt out so avoidance of war is the very best,

Most don’t look or consider the age of the man when he’s laid to rest,

My chain has some of its tightest links because of the servicemen I knew,

I must mention my father here, he is one of the greatest servicemen too,

I’m home but afraid to search for you because I’m beaten down and weak,

Told I was in an unhealthy relationship with you and we shouldn’t speak,

The psychiatrist sofa is a place all injured soldiers go no matter why there,

They worry about “dear John’s”, and men that can’t smell tainted air,

No matter how I insisted you were different they didn’t believe it true,

But I had my chain that if followed would take me directly to you,

My family’s hardship came to light upon my non eventful return,

I hitchhiked home because no one came it was a lesson to learn,

I sat outside your window in tears wondering where I went wrong,

Thinking no matter who you were with it was where I belong,

I set out to do my best with over a year of longing for you under my belt,

My family needed to be moved and I did so no matter how my heart felt,

I felt your presence in the air, just knowing you were near felt good,

Oh how I wished to see your beauty for a moment if only I could,

Packed away and ready to go with my family loaded in cars numbering three,

Sadness filled my heart as I had returned to witness my family tragedy,

The home I knew was no more and the girl I loved was now forever gone,

With one last look I got everyone ready to go, it was time for us to move on,

I swear I did, I swear it’s true, I had hoped upon hope you’d come by,

My hopes came true and a white car topped the hill  as sure as angels fly,

My heart skipped beats and I nearly fell making sure I appeared well,

Then before this weary man’s very eyes was the angel of which I fell,

I saw it in your eyes as they first fell upon me for your first look,

No longer was I past teen but I was an aged man that did what it took,

For a moment I saw you pause as you realized my innocence had died,

No matter what happened to me my heart still loved you deep inside,

Should I fall at your feet and beg you to take me into your needed arms,

Would you hold me for just a minute to be comforted from all that harms,

So many thoughts ran through my mind and I found it hard to speak,

Our words were simultaneous and the same although mine were weak,

You never got my letters, as quickly as that my heart was aflame once more,

When you made me promise to return to you I knew what I had survived for,

Very distinctly you said “return to me, promise you’ll come back to me,”

You didn’t ask that I return, but to you, for the first time upon return I was happy,

My chain to you regained it’s strength and although long it led to you,

Six months more were hard for me but I wanted my word to you to be true,

My car was ten years old but mine and the money I saved took me home,

The first night in your arms seemed to link me from one to this night alone,

The many links between became memories of hardship and love of you,

Without those many chain links would my love still grow as much as it grew,

Hardship brought clarity of who I loved without doubt or reason to pause,

My love for you is one hundred percent pure with no excuse or clause,

Our dates and days for three weeks were enough that I should move,

Soon I had moved nearby and with three jobs fell into a loving groove,

I carry that with me still for it is the links from which my chain grew,

That brought me home no matter what, it was something I had to do,

We are bound by chain to love each other beyond death and even more,

My chain is stained with blood and feces, death and life, and hardships of war,

Buried within that chain are awful things I pray you never see that are me,

Though reluctant with orders I still did what had to be done and didn’t flee,

So many years have just flown by that it saddens my worn heart so,

Without my chain with memories of loving you I’d wonder where’d it go,

But I know, time has flown through me and pulled you along as well,

It’s flown because happiness has a time anomaly as far as I can tell,

As happiness and joy fills the air my chain skips links until near the end,

I’ve seen days with links of four brought from happiness that helped me mend,

My chain is now mostly gold because of the Angel of morning light I hold,

I love you my beautiful angel, you have turned my daily chain into gold.  

The end, by Pat for Patti.  Thank you, Patti, for my wonderful life,

Without you it would be impossible, thank you for being my wife.