A time long ago my heart was miserably in need of you,

I truly pined in my heart as we Texans are often opt to do,

My heart had been deeded yours so it sought what was gone,

A perplexity of magnitude for a heart longing of the forgone,

As the breeze moves the large pines I too am moved in my mind,

I close my eyes to find Texas in my heart and the girl I left behind,

In Texas it is common to watch wind dance with lumbering pines,

Soft Panhandle breezes whisper your name as hard wind declines,

I’ve heard the whistle of Cowboys passed on as you walked by,

So many sounds orchestrated across the plains under our sky,

Today I recall the days of recall and loneliness so intense I’d cry,

Stricken with fear my first week of combat was hard I won’t deny,

And I struggled, I struggled with fear and finding courage to react,

I struggled to remember everything you as I questioned it an act,

Did you show love or a fascination to have the flirtatious boy at last,

I trembled in fear that you owned my heart and forgot me too fast,

I had orders with leave to return to you before my arduous task,

For what I was trained is nothing to celebrate if you should ask,

Had, you moved on with no trace or imprint of me upon your heart,

At month five as Christmas drew near I was truthfully falling apart,

Typed beginnings of letters unsent were letters of forlorn sadness,

Piled around a trash basket everything here and within me a mess,

Letters of unsent repent is a position I never dreamed to ever be in,

I’m typing letters begging to hear from you and to exist as a friend,

Tears escape my eyes and the pain of heartbreak is throttling breath,

How I feared I had lost you before the words locking us until death,

Unknown to you I had made the vow to love you forever from a kiss,

I felt I stood upon the cliff’s edge but a heartbeat and word from bliss,

I have suffered defeat at our enemies hands as well as total humiliation,

Returned home empty of your love and totally rejected by our nation,

I have endured for you from one end of the earth to another far away,

Each due, man or soldier has known for centuries, I have had to pay,

And in my final chapter I have found more fear and question than before,

Is the equity of my heart in yours of worth or am I truly rust and no more,

What time is left may be but a day unless my will to fight on remains,

Today may be the script of final word if measured by recent new pains,

In absence I have wept in review of my past sins against all I have known,

Truly I love life and mankind, yet I feed of pain, unmeasurable pain I own,

As I stand please watch, as I walk please watch, anguish has come again,

Morning has forgot to bring my new beginning yet for you I will again, begin.

The end, by Pat to Patti

Is twenty old enough to give secrets of the world to hold,

Should still a boy of twenty one become prematurely old,

When I was twenty two my injuries caused my will to fold,

At age twenty three I married my precious treasure of gold,

When I was twenty four dreams woke me to again live,

A man of twenty five shouldn’t beg protestors to forgive,

When I was sixty two I cried so much I seemed a sieve,

Although I’m sixty eight I beg the sins of then you forgive,

I’ve tried in a way to heal my whole yet I’m still incomplete,

Like a babe in the woods I tried to live but couldn’t defeat,

That beast of long ago is seen in shadows from my feet,

As the sun sets the extension of me lays flat in the street,

Withe* flexibility flows from the dark silhouette I can see,

Most often it has no resemblance of this human being me,

Never erect, it’s forever following like a shadow should be,

Each time I see it I wonder what it’s hiding that I can’t see,

As darkness comes it must depart to places that be unknown,

When I sleep the intentions of the hiding beast are often shown,

Each journey, each mission are mushed into sins that I still own,

Eyes of each defeated foe are layered to stare like painted stone,

A thousand coats of my pain are upon the stone creatures I see,

I once ran from the soil of fray and was flown across the sea,

Tied to a stretcher unable to move as foe’s pain enveloped me,

Forty years later the creatures of aged stone I started to see,

I have the answer to a riddle or question formed in my mind,

How long does it take stone to cross oceans for me to find,

With stone eyes of layered foe are stone creatures really blind,

“Forty years and a day” I’d say of the mystery yet to be defined,

My form my fashion is known to most, they think I’m brave,

It’s never been courage they see but I fear fear will enslave,

Anchored to hold me there it’s that I have fear of the grave,

When you run in defeat you die inside to live as fear’s slave,

At sixty nine the willow will flex in motion to avoid Texas wind,

The unfortunate tragedy is that age removes the ability to bend,

So stand I must and fight “departure’s will” in combat to defend,

I defend for her as I always have and of “departure” it I will send,

Through script on a material of plastics and current I exude,

Release brings a cleansing unseen yet it does help to conclude,

I’m taken by surprise again at the will I have wrapped in fortitude,

I see her radiance and know she is the magic cure of my attitude,

Another Memorial Day brings pain that will resurrect once more,

Along with numerous question such as what were we fighting for,

Memories of extreme that I wish to buried in darkness forevermore,

But I hold dear my memories of strength from the girl I still adore.

The end

*”Withe” flexible branches used to weave baskets

With your touch my heart sets sail to lands of loves wonder, 

True my words whispered, my love will never be asunder, 

Atop tranquil waters sensation of flight is felt on the sea,

Tranquility is seldom felt of me but when your beauty I see, 

Of you I will never flee as you are my destination to find, 

Near or afar a magnetic pull upon my heart guides blind, 

I’ve closed my eyes and found your lips with no sound,

From the sky I’ve jumped yet your pull spun me around,

Fading sunlight brings nightlight in tow to be with you again, 

Although you set at my side I’m anxious for night to begin, 

My back so bent from burden shows the wear of hard years, 

Yet youth erupts with your look, again you remove my fears,

Again your touch is felt to remove yesterday’s nightmare, 

From this vessel of loves creation I feel the heart we share, 

I’ve touched the surface of tranquil water with a fingertip, 

As I look into tranquil waters of glass I lose realities grip, 

The age upon my face tells me time is beginning to wane, 

I look upon my past and it brings a sense of warrior shame, 

Scars upon my soul never depart nor do I feel burdens gone, 

In angels surround I have found starlight that I can move on, 

Each reflection of age tells me of pain and hardship endured, 

Teardrops are now a daily occurrence of less time assured,

Oh the rest of my life, is the rest of my aging life gift enough, 

If I see her face in the dark will I endure when it’s really tough, 

A round of applause as I rise from the ashes once more to prove, 

In the presence of angels we have power that mountains move

In the presence my angels gold see my rust shines to the above,

I have no gold or precious stones yet how she treasures my love, 

There’s something about love I wish to share with all I know, 

Give all of your heart to her and be assured love will grow, 

My rust is nearly rusting through yet she see treasure in me, 

I see her as an angel in rescue of me when I won’t be able to see, 

We will dance arm in arm as we hold hands unable to stand, 

Hopelessly in love forever she will guide me with her hand, 

To guide me into eternities entry that we will be young again, 

Perhaps through a window she’ll see me for our love to begin.

The end, by Pat

All the diamonds in the land couldn’t catch the sparkle in your eyes,

Encircle the hazel with the most beautiful of blue from God’s skies,

Catch rainbows in your mind’s eye to locate colors that need to be,

That you may understand how her angelic eyes have captured me,

Kisses from my angel are enough to make this man’s knees weak,

The sweetness held inside could make men love her within a week,

If other men knew her as I do then she would have no need for me,

So many suitors would gather round in hopes she would pick he,

If only I could build a garden to celebrate who she is to all she knows,

Master’s hands would sculpt statues that her beautiful image shows,

I’d place these beautiful statues amongst flowers of beauty that grow,

To be a memorial to the most beautiful woman I will ever love or know,

Ahead of all would be the man that worships her as no other could,

So proud I am that I am the man that worships her as only I would,

I have flown the skies powered on high by her kiss placed on me,

My heart took flight with me in tow lifting me high that I may see,

I have seen the gates of heaven given me as a gift from loving her,

I am the richest man in the universe though I have no riches to offer,

Yet I am rich of heart with more golden memories than I do deserve,

She has taken this lowly servant as her guardian and I happily serve,

Around the garden are oaks with majestic branches reaching high,

Mountains with snow capped peaks rise in the horizon meeting sky,

Hear the creek softly flow with water so pure it cleanses your being,

My angel belongs here in this garden that we as visitors are seeing,

Fruits of delight favored by her would grow for her around the year,

The beauty of heavens gardens were watered by a love given tear,

So many tears of love I gave to mother earth and now placed here,

Loving you sweet Patti is inscribed into my heart to have you near,

The photo of my angel that I carried near my heart for so very long,

Placed perfectly at the entrance surrounded by beautiful birds in song,

A path of golden stone would lead the way through this garden for her,

The sad part of this rhyme is that a dream and a rose is all I can offer,

So much joy given me that has made suffering pain an easy thing to do,

You’re the only angel I’ve loved, I would do most anything to please you,

Take my heart, it’s inscribed with your name so it’s never stolen or lost,

I am the richest man in the world please know it was worth any cost.

The end, by Pat for Patti

Manic depressive hallucinations, Massive drug doses stimulation,

Eternity long a life so short, a fading picture it distorts,

I have found a way beyond the gaseous state of my mind,

While absent thought or memory emptiness forms a blind,

Unable to penetrate the unseen forces brought of loneliness,

With no thought to guide my form I have become a mess,

Written words with no destination found its way to the floor,

Each word I write sounds so lonely I just can’t write anymore,

One hundred twenty five days of fear that’s brought by war,

Crumpled paper in a corner says I should leave it at the store,

Absence of Texas nights fill my room with more emptiness,

Words to apologize for saying I care seems wrong I confess,

But if I have to, to keep you near, as an old broken friend,

From the confines of my assignment I’ll love you to the end,

I’ve folded paper into shapes all covered with but a word,

Dear is a stop sign in my letters for words that go unheard,

From my heart through my mind and down to my fingertips,

I try desperately to be just a friend then I remember your lips,

Fear is a sensation that accompanies me when I walk alone,

My room is slowly filling with “afraid” as if it’s a light shone,

No man can protect you as I can for I’ll be a fortress of stone,

Love creates devotion yet devotion is love’s best part known,

A fortnight and a near a week has returned me to this place,

The tag of ‘no mail Pat’ brought tears racing down my face,

More painful than a bullet ripping through my flesh to stay,

Memories of your eyes upon me dim with each passing day,

Dark waters pound against the rocks creating ocean spray,

My creation of dark waters explain teardrops within the fray,

Tides made of fallen tears have joined the battering today,

Each wave a creation of my pounding heart withering away,

I see my heart amongst debris I’ve thrown upon my floor,

There’s a letter beyond dear wishing we eloped long before,

Each word was truth I spoke to you when I worked in a store,

If again I see you Patti Gail I will speak to you of evermore,

As darkness fills my room with darkening of what was day,

You’ll invade my mind for near two hours before I find a way,

To type words begging forgiveness for what I meant to say,

Or am I a fallen warrior locked in limbo before I can go away,

No greater pain or punishment could be placed upon my soul,

I am the lowest point achieved by man unless thrust into a hole,

I’ve carried this tissue of your lips imprint until no longer whole,

Oh how my life has changed if begging forgiveness is my goal,

If I could leave this place with purpose to tell you of my heart,

Tears would flow from my eyes while I struggled hard to start,

I would tell you of wasted paper with but a word upon the floor,

I’d say that I’m sorry, but since that day I love you even more.

The end, by Pat to Patti December 8, 1968