On the streets of my hometown angels walk the street,
Most are unseen but to see such a creature is a treat,
It makes no difference but I thought all should know,
To find keys to Heaven’s gate it’s where you should go,
As a young man miles from home one called out to me,
Telling me to come home yet my youth wouldn’t let it be,
The day arrived that the letter came when daddy cried,
I knew the reason was that in Vietnam young men died,
The day the letter came I feared losing the angel I knew,
Working two jobs to occupy my mind was all I could do,
Seeing her ride by in different cars on dates with a boy,
As she broke my heart unknown to her I’d pray her joy,
She has doubt that I love her as I always told her I did,
I ran wild creating sins of love that I kept very well hid,
A draft board call is akin a firing squad in eight of ten,
How can it be we will fight in a war too young to be men,
Not enough love shown but enough to create wonder,
She would come to my side for me but I let it fall asunder,
Tears fell too many times to count or even for me to say,
I had tears on the bus as she drove by that very sad day,
So beautiful to an extreme how could an angel love me,
I had so little and escaped to avoid raising a large family,
As I left the streets of my hometown I felt I deserved little,
Escaping pressures of home for war I prayed for acquittal,
I had planned to ask the angel for her hand or to run away,
Every thought I thought was to convince her when I’d say,
Marry me, you’ll be sixteen then we can go away to marry,
I’ll be in the arms of an angel and I’ll escape the military,
A military score so high made each branch want this man,
Men of twenty is hardly men since my life hasn’t began,
After training was done I came home and a miracle came,
Her father influenced her mother that I was not the same,
In the presence of an angel I became a better man through,
To remain in the presence of this angel I’d do as I had to do,
I became a better man with a kiss from heaven on my lips,
From that instant love I carried guided all my relationships,
I became a righteous man with but one thought in my life,
Determined from that point forward to make her my wife,
But to hurt her heart I wouldn’t allow so I’d have to wait,
To die at war is unfair so I won’t ask for a wedding date,
During a long kiss goodbye I cried and hid my tears away,
To ask for her hand in marriage is something I can’t say,
I’ve loved her over two years and I know she too loves me,
I told her she should date when I first moved from our city,
A girl so beautiful can’t be tied to a boy from fourteen,
Some day she’ll believe she’s the only angel I’ve seen,
Now bullets fly over as Vietnam is a horrible place to be,
I’ve written my angel twice and no response is killing me,
This place is so beautiful perhaps God practiced here,
But for bombs and napalm there are places war clear,
As I admire and enjoy His hand beneath blue skies I cry,
If only the angel of Texas could write I’d be happy if I die,
A year plus has passed and my visit home is worse still,
Three weeks plus days she was gone and it broke my will,
I’ve written her begging forgiveness for my forward ways,
I swear by all that is holy I’ve endured my darkest of days,
And I’ve returned to this place to hear Neil Armstrong land,
I sit here so distraught holding new assignment in my hand,
All I can sense is of her, her smell, her hairs smell and feel,
Memories inside of me are adorned by essence of her still,
The day my life changed is when Armstrong left the moon,
The moon I see outside is the same he left this afternoon,
In two days exhaustion will overtake this man if only I knew,
It will be difficult to understand everything I’ve been through,
And I’ll pray to our Lord in silence but soon enough aloud,
The angel I love won’t know I was home and asked her crowd,
Where has she been but no one knows where an angel goes,
When angels go is it far away or a place only heaven knows,
They’ve beaten me for twenty four hours or more I’m sure,
Even asked of Armstrong’s walk but I just said I’m unsure,
The Berlin Wall is easy to cross but entry will just bring pain,
I told of my mistake in crossing saying I had nothing to gain,
A Texas angel found a way of appearing to me so far away,
I had not seen her in over a year but she came to me today,
Tenderly kissed my torn lip though blood was still in flow,
Said she loves me, as I tried to say me too, she said “I know”,
Comfort came from my sweet Texas angel and even today,
I find comfort in the hallucinations that brought her my way,
Were they of the mind I have wondered or was she there,
I love her more today and if real or not, I don’t really care.
The end, by Pat for Patti.
I love you my beautiful little angel.
Pat