In Memory of Ronnie Blanchard

Accidental Poet



In Memory of Ronnie Blanchard

1946 - 2003

 

I remember you Ronnie

Like it was yesterday

And here I am now

Thirty years later missing you today

 

You came home from Nam

Not quite the same as you left

The memories and pain in your heart

The crime of your sanity theft

 

With shells exploding dangerously close

Bullets hissing through the air

One caught your best friend

And he died in your arms then and there

 

Home you came with more than you left

In your eyes I saw the war raging on

If I could I’d take away your pain

Just a wave of my hand and POOF, it’d be gone

 

In our cars, we passed each other one day

You turned around just to talk with me

You in your’77 Camaro Z28

And me in my ’72 Ford LTD

 

I was ten years younger than you

And like brothers it seems we became

Infatuated with muscle cars

It didn’t matter of the brand names

 

Oh, how we talked of carburetors

Hurst shifters and Cragar SS wheels

The insane pull of a big block

How insatiable and rewarding it feels

 

Far too few were those moments we shared

For I often think of you as my big brother

Wishing you were still here

The laughs we shared with each other

 

As I stand here at your grave

Speaking to you this way

I sense you’re with me

My big brother today

 

Copyright © Accidental Poet 2011

  • Author: Sharon\'s Poet (Pseudonym) (Offline Offline)
  • Published: November 8th, 2017 03:39
  • Category: Family
  • Views: 77
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Comments +

Comments8

  • Michael Edwards

    Written with such passion = makes me wish I'd been there with you both.

  • Accidental Poet

    Thank you Michael, me too.

  • FredPeyer

    AP, soldiers form a very special bond, especially in combat, but they are very careful in the bonds they make outside the military. If Ronnie was your friend, you know your friendship was very special.
    Beautiful poem, Thank you!

    • Accidental Poet

      Thanks Fred. I knew it then, and ever more aware of it now since he's been gone. I miss him.

    • WL Schuett

      Sorry you are missing a good friend , a very nice remembrance....

      • Accidental Poet

        Thanks Bill. I didn't know Ronnie real well as he was 10 years older than me. But the few times that we did talk, we could relate to each other as if age was not a factor. He didn't talk much about the war in Vietnam, and I knew why. The war still raged on somewhere inside him, memories that he couldn't escape from. I wanted so badly to take it all away from him. Thanks for reading Bill.

      • Goldfinch60

        Beautiful caring write, he will always be with you.

        • Accidental Poet

          Thanks Goldie. I do feel him near many times.

        • myself and me

          A poem of grief. All those memories kept your friends alive in your heart.

          • Accidental Poet

            If he can live forever in me, then I'll be a proud and grateful host. Thanks for reading m&m.

          • w c

            Thanks AP! I felt your sadness.

            • Accidental Poet

              Thanks WC. His best friend died in his arms. And I felt like he became a best friend to me.

            • Louis Gibbs

              A fine tribute to a good friend, AP. Well written and moving. Good write!

              • Accidental Poet

                Thanks Louis. I just wish he was still here.



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