MACHINE GUN STREET

In a Saigon Alley where a village hides
I spend my time drawing and smiling
Wild, Wild West is on the TV and Vietnamese
children watch American karate

A US soldier lives next to me
tormenting our allies or perhaps VC.
Only war, women, and children
they suffer from their enemy

I draw and I give, I draw and I give
images of children who speak no English
They face themselves in the drawings
A reflection of their childhood in graphite

A burst in my sleep makes me roll to the floor
bullets bounce off walls through an uncovered  vent
Anxiety is gone and my neighbor is dead
His cruelty destroyed him as he slept in his bed

Twisted sadness,

Good-bye as I moved to a safer alley
Live sparse and live light so it’s easy to move
Leaving behind the friends who killed my neighbor
Drawing pictures of kids in another place

Practicing the art of living