Roger
Morning, Roger.
A friend of mine just got his new Dyna Low Rider last Saturday, and we will probably try to put a few miles on it this weekend. (Like I told you, any excuse to ride!!! - Ha.)
About the poem. Never considered myself very good at this kind of stuff; but the more you and I talked about the run and the more I thought about it, the more I felt like I had to get something on paper that could describe how I felt. I have always had trouble dealing with this, and I sometimes wonder if I have earned the right to ride with these guys...
Here is what I wrote. No one else has seen this, so I have no feedback as to its "poetic" quality; but I do think that it accurately describes what I have to deal with on this trip.
Ride Safe,
Mike
I Wasn't There
I wasn't there to hear your cries
And see the looks of fear
As rockets whined and bullets flew
And sounds of death drew near.
You're fighting on some distant shore
A place I'll never see,
Your blood was shed for all who stayed
It's hard to say 'twas me.
I wasn't there close by your side
To share the pain you knew,
But in my heart I feel today
The hurt that you still do.
Forever grateful I will be
To ones I cannot tell,
I shed a tear for those today
Who for my freedom fell.
But now I ride to honor you,
My brothers brave and true;
Oh God I wish I couldn't say
I wasn't there for you.